Butterflies & Dragons
by Dachande663
Summary: What if fate had taken a different turn and Tom Sully had taken his place on the journey to Pandora instead of his brother? Would events have played out differently, would the Na'vi still have the leader they needed? AU Complete.
1. Fate

The beast stood proudly in the clearing, its enormous bulk glistening as it grazed amongst the leaves all around. The dappled sunlight filtered through the tall trees, the soft shadows rippling across the creatures skin. Even in this peaceful state it was obvious why only the hardiest of predators would attempt to attack it. Tom crept closer, using the thick vegetation for cover, ensuring he was downwind of the creature. Raising his scope he sighted on the animal, taking in every wrinkle of its skin through the lens. His camera snapped a rapid set of images, taking in every three-dimensional detail.

Without warning gunfire erupted from the South, the staccato shots spooking the great beast. It turned its large head, eyes finding Tom in an instant. The rhino snorted once, turned its muscled body to face the same direction and charged. Tom didn't even falter, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance trying to outrun this beast in this kind of terrain. He stood his ground and waited until the last possible moment before diving behind the bowl of a nearby tree. He felt the air behind him explode with force an instant before the charging rhino sped by, too caught up in its own momentum to react and turn in time.

Tom was already up and running in the opposite direction, moving swiftly and silently through the jungle. Hopefully the rhino would leave him be, satisfied it had scared him off. It was the shooters he was more worried about. With barely five percent of any form of forests remaining, species that would once have never encountered such terrain had been placed together, the perimeters guarded day and night to protect the last of Earth's treasures. Some, like Tom, were allowed access, to study the animals within and ensure they were adapting well. But as with all valuable commodities, there were those who would pay dearly to take what was in short supply.

Tom didn't feel the ground shake beneath his feet and risked a glance back, sighing with relief that the rhino had given up before it even began. Returning his gaze to the front Tom felt his body connect solidly with a branch at chest height, the impact knocking all breath from his lungs and sending him lurching backwards. Stars swam in his vision, the dappled green light above moving in and out of focus. From his right came the sounds of leaves breaking, harsh voices and clipped orders. Trying to stand Tom found his head swimming, falling back down before he could even put a hand out to stop himself. The noises grew closer, obviously drawn by his actions. Lying still Tom hoped his modest attempt at camouflage would do him some good, hopefully letting the poachers walk on by without ever seeing him.

"Boss!"

Not today it seemed. Within moments he had been hoisted upright, arms bound tightly behind him with a military-issue binder. He didn't struggle, at this point he felt more likely to throw up than make a break for it. A thin white man strode into view, straw hat obscuring most of his face but what was visible was too white to have spent any time out in the Sun.

"What do we have here my friend?" he said jokingly in a thick South African accent. Grabbing Tom by the chin he lifted his head so their gazes met. Tom felt his breath quicken.

"Van Meer," Tom whispered, the dawning realisation of the situation now sinking in, every sense sharpening in response. He felt his pulse increase, pupils dilate as they began to take in every detail around. Any sense of disorientation had been shaken off.

"Thomas Sully, my it has been a while. I can't thank you enough for that last batch of photos you sent the Commission. That cost me an awful lot to cover up brother."

"Next time I'll remember to keep copies for the press."

"No my friend, I don't think we'll be having any more trouble from you after today. I have a nice rhinoceros to dehorn so I'm going to leave you in the very capable hands of my associates here. Have a good life Mr. Sully."

Van Meer turned and walked back amongst his men, grin affixed firmly in place.

"I've got one last thing to say to you Wikkus."

Van Meer turned slowly, enjoyment at finally having the upper hand evident as he took his time.

"Oh really, well please my friend, do share."

"I found your rhino. COME ON!"

The final cry was all the sneaking animal needed, bursting forth from the trees where it had been stalking Toms trail. The assembled men turned at the sound of thunder, barely reacting before the beast pummelled into them. Three and a half tonnes of muscle and sinew, topped with a solid horn, ploughed through anything and everything that got in its way. As soon as the man behind Tom let go to make his own getaway Tom jumped and rolled into the underbrush to the side, frantically digging for the small knife in his boot.

Around him the men were in complete disarray, some had begun training their rifles on the creature, firing off rounds as quickly as they could. In its heightened state of rage this only fuelled the rhino more, send it into a frenzy. As the bullets finally sought to put a dent in it the men looked around taking stock of their situation. Van Meer lay groaning amongst the buttress roots of a large tree, blood flowing freely from a chest wound. Others were rolling in pain or deathly still. They found no trace of Thomas Sully, only the frayed bonds lying in a heap.

---

Tom was always amazed at how much could change in such a short distance. Setting down in Los Angeles he saw the sea of concrete slabs, stretching away into the infinite horizons. The San Pedro Space Port glistened proudly below, its many pads ferrying people and cargo to and fro every day.

Grabbing his bag from the overhead locker Tom made his way towards the exit, already missing the clean air of a tropical climate compared to the cloying smog that seemed to pervade every metropolitan area nowadays. Stepping onto the tarmac Tom looked up into the clouds, watching the latest shuttle descend from the heavens against the dark sky. Just six days and he'd be heading up to Luna, then on to Pandora. Six short days to get his life in order before he was gone for the better part of a decade.

It wasn't much of a change really; he had spent much of his adult life out of the cities, trekking through what was left of the wild, making a name for himself as a wildlife researcher and photographer. As a child he had spent a lot of time outdoors with his brother, but whilst Jake had gone on to join the Marines and end up god knows where to be outside, Tom had settled for something... simpler. Yeah, because facing off against rhinos and poachers is safer than shooting from the seat of an armoured mobility platform he mused to himself.

If only his brother could see him now. Tom cut his thoughts short, they hadn't spoken since their Dad had passed away and neither saw fit to reconnect. Shifting his bag higher Tom headed towards the terminal, the clouds overhead growing in size and darkness. He had sold his apartment before leaving on the last trip, doubting it'd be worth the extra rent for a few days. An old botany friend had agreed to lend him his place in Downtown, only a six mile walk from the port. Funny how six miles in a city could feel a lot further than the same distance over thick terrain in a rainforest.

Not even a mile out the heavens opened and the first drops of rain began to pound down. What few pedestrians were about at this time of night took cover and hurried along but Tom kept on at a steady pace, pulling a well-used poncho from his pack. Always be prepared, Jake had taught him that. Taking the piece of paper with his friends address on Tom tried to figure out where he was supposed to go, it looked like he'd missed a turning somewhere and ended up on the wrong street.

Passing an alleyway he took a quick turn, still deciding if this was the correct direction.

"Give me a bearing any day," he murmured to himself.

Walking further down the alley Tom realised he was not alone, ahead a shadow moved and a large man stepped into his path. What little light reached in this far from the street fell short of revealing the mans face, but Tom could get a picture from the stench alone.

"Got any change?" the man asked, stepping closer.

"No sorry," Tom said, moving to the side to step past. The shadowy figure did the same, not hiding his intent any more.

"Bag looks heavy, why not let me hold on to it for you?"

It was a statement, not a request and Tom felt his options narrowing. Five thousand miles just to have some idiot in an alley mug me? he thought with disdain.

"Look pal, there's nothing in here except dirty washing and some half eaten ration packs." Not exactly true, there was also several grands worth of photography equipment, not to mention GPS and other technological aids.

"Give me your fucken bag or I'll knife you right here," the man said, stepping so close to Tom he could feel his pungent breath. The dim light glinted off the thin knife held in the mans hand, it was small but deep enough to be of concern.

"Put the knife away and we can both go on our way," Tom said slowly, one hand held defensively in front of him, the other balled ready to fight.

The man didn't even say anything, just plunged his arm forwards, driving the knife towards Toms stomach. Tom didn't think, didn't analyse the situation, he just reacted as he'd learnt to do many years before. Pivoting to the side he grabbed the assailants wrist, twisted, snatched the knife and spun around in one fluid motion. It was over before it even began, the man lying on the ground, his breath coming in shallow gasps while blood pooled around his chest. The knife stayed firmly in place between his ribs, a clean cut to the heart. It would be over soon.

Tom looked up at the sky, the falling rain stinging his face and wondered what would have happened if it was him lying on the ground instead. He would call the company first, they could sort this kind of thing out with the police, he was too valuable an investment to let rot in a jail while a perfectly good avatar went to waste. Six days and six years later he would be on Pandora and this would all be behind him.


	2. Touch Down

They say cryo-sleep is like falling asleep one minute and waking up a moment later a million lightyears away from where you started. Most would agree however it felt more like a restless nights sleep followed by the mother of all hangovers. The pods, known for their cramped dimensions, gave the sensation of waking up in a coffin. Muscles that hadn't being used in such a long time felt stiff and lifeless, giving the owner a sense of immediate helplessness and claustrophobia. The loud hiss of escaping gases signalled the release of the pod, sliding smoothly out of its enclosure. A member of the flight crew drifted overhead lazily, gripping the rail at the end of the bed before unclasping the restraints around Toms chest.

"Morning sleepy head," he said, helping Tom sit up and brace himself against the frame. "Lockers over there, barf bags just above if you think you're going to need one. Just make sure you don't miss."

Tom wasn't sure whether he was referring to the lockers or the bags but it didn't matter either way. He felt so nauseous with no sense of up or down that he missed the lockers and ended up tumbling towards the far side of the room before someone caught him and gently set him back on track. Grabbing hold he told himself he'd never leave bemoan gravity again, even if Pandora's gravity was only eight tenths of Earths. Changing quickly he manoeuvred towards the loading bay, buckling into one of the uncomfortable seats along the edge of the shuttle that would take them all down to the surface.

"Hey Tom."

Doctor Norman Spellman buckled in next to his lab partner, pulling the straps tight against his chest.

"Hey Norm, have a good nap?"

"No, but I don't think anyone here feels different apart from the flight crew who've been awake the whole trip."

"True, just want to get in our Avatars now, be done with all this flying. How many hours did you manage to clock up?"

"Five hundred and something."

Tom turned incredulously, "I was only gone for two weeks, how did you manage to get another two hundred in? You must have been hooked up every day!"

"Well the techs said when we're there the only chance we'll get to actually sleep is when we're back in body and after we've done all our reports. So I figured I might as well push the simulator and see how far I could go."

"Do you think it'll be the same? Using the simulator I mean," Tom asked, watching the stars disappear behind the first streaks of atmosphere outside the porthole windows.

"I hope so," Norm answered back, "Otherwise we're going to have a very steep learning curve."

Outside the windows the clouds parted and the assembled party got their first look at the surface of Pandora. This was a planet filled with life of every variety, not like Earth with its stale concrete and "protected" reserves. The towering trees stood out above the ever present vegetation, glistening rivers bisected huge swaths of land and above it all the air shimmered with the flight of a thousand different species. This was heaven.

---

"Welcome to Hell ladies and gentlemen. My name is Colonel Quaritch and it is my duty to keep you alive. I will not succeed. Not with all of you, when you are on Pandora you have to follow the rules if you want to stay alive for every creature that walks, crawls or lives in the mud wants to use your eyes for juju-juice."

Beside him Norm swallowed a lump in his throat but Tom just smirked. Growing up he had been given the same advice when entering the bush, that he would never make it out alive, that everything in there could kill him in an instant, that it was kill or be killed. But then he'd found his niche, entering a habitat, observing it and leaving without a trace. You didn't have to be the strongest or the fastest if you could be the smartest and stay hidden. And it had served him well so far.

After the meeting was over everyone left to find their respective dormitories, but Tom found himself blocked by the hulking form of Quaritch.

"You're Tom Sully," he said matter-of-factly.

"That's right," Tom said, extending his hand. Quaritch gripped it in a vice like grip, pulling him in closer.

"You got a brother? In First Recon," he asked.

"Jake Sully," Tom nodded.

"A fine man, I transferred out in his first year but he was one of the best marines I saw there."

"Thank you Sir," Tom said, not sure what else to really say in his brothers absence.

"And I would have given anything to get him here instead of another lilly-footed science quack like you."

"I'm sorry to hear that, guess the military is just going to have to make do without one less grunt."

"Oh mark my words boy, I'm just going to let Pandora deal with you for me. A week and you'll be a turd heap sitting outside the gates."

"At least I'll be a pretty turd," Tom said, brushing past the Colonel before he could respond.

---

"What did he want?" Norm asked as Tom emerged into the corridor.

"Talked about my brother, how marines are so much more useful than us geeks."

"Typical, Augustine has had to fight tooth and nail every quarter to keep the Avatar program going. These jarheads want nothing more than to go in and wipe out every living thing just because it's a threat."

"Well that's why we're here norm," Tom said, slapping him on the back as they entered the bio labs. The two latest avatars dominated the room, the containment panels being removed from the great glass cylinders before the synthetic embryonic fluid could be drained away.

"You must be Tom and Norm," an asian man dressed in the typical lab coat fashion said, walking up to both with hand outstretched. "Doctor Max Patel, head of the Avatar Link systems. I'll be the one keeping an eye on your bodies while your minds are off roaming the forests."

"Tom Sully, nice to meet you," Tom said, clasping the mans hand. As Norm took his place Tom moved towards the vats, watching the sleeping form of his Avatar inside. Its hand ticked slightly in its sleep, the peaceful face rolling to face Toms own.

"Wow, they got big," Norm said, placing a hand against his own avatar's vat.

"They mature fully on the trip out, we should have them ready to go out by tomorrow morning," Max said, moving to stand beside Tom.

"It's incredible," he whispered, studying every contour of the majestic creatures skin. "The resemblance I mean, you wouldn't think it could work but..."

"So this is the great Doctor Sully," a new voice said, walking up behind the trio.

"Doctor Augustine, meet our new drivers," Max said, moving out of the way for the introductions.

Grace Augustine looked as if she'd just woken up, hair askew, a fresh cigarette clamped firmly between her lips. She looked at Norm and Tom as if studying a bug, firing rapid questions at them about link time, language dialects, skill sets and field experience.

"You've come at a critical time gentlemen, the Company is doing everything it can do evict the natives and we are the only thing standing in the way. We need to find the best solution as quickly as possible and we need to keep the military at bay while we're at it."

"Not much pressure then," Tom said, grinning at the group. His smile was not returned and he quickly dropped his gaze.

"The flora and fauna on this planet live in balance with the local environment to a level we've never seen before, it is our duty to preserve as much as possible and learn what we can while there's still time. If you can only make jokes maybe I would have been better off with another marine to tow around."

Grace turned sharply and strode from the room.

"0800 tomorrow morning, don't be late," Max said, hurrying after her.

Tom left quickly, found his bunk and settled down for his first night on an alien planet. Tomorrow his whole world would change and every lesson he'd learnt about surviving in the bush would be put to the test. Out here, he truly was out of his element.


	3. First Contact

The link pods were just as Tom had remembered them back on Earth, only now they were linked to a real Avatar body, not just some computer simulator. Lying back on the elastic foam Tom felt himself slip into avatar-mode, closing his eyes and and trying to clear his mind ready for the connection. The first time was always the worst, kind of like taking a roller coaster backwards through a tunnel of light that would be familiar to an LSD addict.

As the computer sought to match his brainwaves up with those of his Avatar, Tom couldn't help but feel the adrenaline build within him. Eight years of training, well two years training, six years sleeping, and he was finally about to see if it would all work or come crumbling down around him. The technology was still new, the chambers themselves susceptible to "glitches" that would leave a body without a mind or even worse only half. But it was a risk all researchers were willing to take to be able to study Pandora first hand.

The light green glow began to fade in the pod as Tom felt his mind tickle, the first sign he was about to lose his grip on this reality. As the pod achieved the last congruencies Tom felt his world fall away, opening his eyes in another body. The simulator couldn't even begin to compare to the sensations that rippled through Toms new body. Every touch, smell and sound kicked his brain into overdrive. He tried to rise and felt the world sway, disembodied blue legs stretching out before him. A doctor walked up to his bed, looking ridiculously small next to the Na'vi.

"I need you to take it easy Tom, you're going to feel disorientated as your brain adapts to the avatar."

Toms mouth felt dry, the words couldn't quite form correctly. He knew what he wanted to say, but not how to form the words anymore. Beside him Norm was already sitting up at the end of the bed, following the long list of neurological tests they had to perform to show body and mind were working as one cohesive unit.

"Okay Tom, just swing your legs to the side when you're ready and try and sit-up, take all the time you need," the doctor said, tentatively placing his hand against Toms arm to steady him.

This time Tom managed to sit a bit straighter, swinging his massive legs around and nearly decapitating the poor doctor.

"Sorry," he finally mumbled, the word coming out naturally now he wasn't consciously trying to figure out how to move the alien jaws.

"Don't worry about it, at least you didn't damage the avatar. I need to run through the tests now okay, just follow my instructions and we'll get you out of here. Touch a finger to your nose please."

Tom giggled like a child as he felt his nose, the flat surface feeling more like a cats than a typical human bulge. Ignoring the doctor for a moment he ran his hands over his upper body, feeling the braided hair, protruding ears and oval eyes. This would definitely take some getting used to he mused.

The rest of the tests flew by, with both Norm and Tom declared to be in perfect working order. Standing around idly Tom had taken to flicking his tail back and forth, seeing what kind of motion he could achieve with it. Like his voice it seemed to have a mind of its own, more suited to follow his will than his command.

The large airlock door opened suddenly and another Na'vi body walked through, possessing the grace of someone who had spent a lot of time hooked up. The face was instantly recognisable, even in the persona of a blue form.

"Well look at you two," Augustine said, hands resting idly on her hips. "If I didn't know better I'd say someone was itching to get out of here. They good to go Max?"

Through the glass viewport Max looked up, double checking the scans on his pads before giving the thumbs up and nodding his consent.

"This way then gentlemen," Grace said, leading them outside into the Pandoran sun. The large blue globe of Polythemus dominated the sky, its swirling clouds an ever changing pattern that seemed to mirror the Na'vi skin itself.

"We have recreation facilities, a small vegetable patch across for growing local fruits and such for study and then the old school house which is where you'll park your avatar butts for the night when you're in the compound."

Tom couldn't help but stare at what Augustine had managed to create here, it was like a small community within the walls of Hells Gate itself. Some of the other avatars were playing basketball on a court, others lounged in the sun taking in the sight of the newcomers. The school house as Grace described it was a huge shack, each bed seemingly endless in length but then Tom realised he was now walking around in a ten foot tall blue body.

"Shotgun," Norm called out, jumping on the nearest free bunk which groaned ominously under his weight. Grace just carried on walking down the aisle, stopping to talk with a few scientists who sat idly on their beds.

Tom found a bunk near the end and sat down comfortably, letting his new hands run over the coarse material. His finger found the long queue of hair from his head and he picked it up curiously. As the fibres at the end fell away he found himself mesmerised by the delicate fluctuations of the nerve bundles contained within.

"Don't play with it, you'll go blind," Grace said, sitting down next to him.

"What is it?" he asked curiously, not able to take his eyes off the thin strands.

"As best we can tell it's an external nervous hookup. The Na'vi use it for 'tsahaylu', The Bond, it allows them to connect directly to the neural pathways of other systems. We still haven't had much luck with understanding it though, short of just plugging in to random systems its too risky. The Na'vi never went into much detail, probably didn't trust us to not plug in to the wrong thing."

"Wow," Tom whispered, letting the braid fall across his lap.

"Trust me, there's a lot more to see," Grace said, leaving him to rest. "We leave tomorrow so I suggest you get used to your avatar while you don't have anything chasing you."

"Doctor, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

Grace just cocked her head at him as if she knew what he was going to ask.

"Back on Earth I always worked alone, it's the only way to get the shots I do."

"You want me to let you go off on your own, into an ecosystem you've never even seen before?"

"You requested me because I'm the best at what I do. But only because of how I do it."

"If Selfridge found out he'd have the entire program scrapped," she said exasperatedly.

"Who says he has to find out? This mission is scheduled to be what... eight hours in the field. I split up, snap a few pictures and get back to the rendezvous point with plenty of time to spare."

Grace turned slightly, placing her hands on her hips in what had become a common gesture. It was obvious she wanted to let him run free, but if anything were to happen to Tom it could cause serious problems further on.

"You do one trek with me and Norm tomorrow, then you can go off on your own. At least get a feel for the land before heading out on your own. Deal?"

"Deal," Tom said happily, flopping down on the bed, his tail flicking idly over the edge.

---

The Samson moved like a bat out of hell across the river, the pilot obviously delighting in pushing it and its occupants to their very limits. Below them the cool water flowed with life, while small bat like creatures flew alongside their craft.

"Stingbats," Grace said, leaning beside him to look out the open door.

"Five minutes out," the pilot shouted over the din of the rotors, her female voice a surprise to Tom who'd been expecting another butch marine up front. As they set down Tom could see the various forms of wildlife scatter and felt his heart fall, such a wasted opportunity, blasting around in the loudest machines known to man. Had these people learnt nothing from the mistakes of Earth?

Tom grabbed his pack and clambered out of the Samson, feeling the long grass tickle his alien thigs. Grace was still helping Norm collect his own pack, which had split open spilling specimen jars across the deck. Looking around he spotted a suitable path into the forest and thumbed on his throat mike.

"See you in eight hours Grace," he said before making a quick departure, long legs propelling him forwards at a phenomenal rate.

"You come back here right now!" she shouted, but Tom had already disappeared into the brush. Pulling Norm roughly from the craft Grace turned to the pilot, her diminutive form dwarfed by the avatar. "Shut it down here, we'll meet back in eight hours then go looking for our missing explorer. And Trudy, don't radio this in."

"Gotcha Doc, happy hunting."

"Come on Norm," Grace said, heading off in the general direction Tom had vanished towards Hopefully she'd find him, in one piece or many was only a matter of how good he truly was. After just a few hundred metres though it was obvious he was gone and so was Norm who had someone managed to get lost following just a few metres behind her. Sighing in defeat Grace began searching for the less-experienced of the two, cursing her luck.

---

Neytiri moved like a panther through the high branches, following the intruder below. He moved quickly through the low brush, his alien smell and inexperience making him an easy target to spot. Raising her bow she sighted down the shaft of a poison-tipped arrow and thanked Eywa for making this such an easy kill.

"I would really rather you didn't shoot him," a voice spoke from her side in the human tongue English. She turned, startled, pointing her bow at a dreamwalker who crouched just a few paces away from her on another branch. How had he got so close? she screamed at herself.

"Or me," the hybrid whispered, gently placing a finger against the point of her arrow. She watched the way his odd hands, with their extra finger, seemed to move without fear of her.

"Norm!" a voice exploded below and both looked down to see Grace chase after the lost doctor. Neytiri felt her ears perk up at the familiar voice, it had been so long since she had gone to the sky people's school.

"Go," she finally said to the human beside her, loosening her bow and moving away. "Be free and do not come back."

"Can I have a picture?"

The words were alien to her, too many unknown sounds to understand but she sensed it was a question and turned back to face her... adversary? Without warning a light emitted from a small rock-like device the dreamwalker held, beeping softly. She hissed loudly, turning and running towards the next tree. As she landed she felt a jolt behind her and turned to see the hybrid following her.

"Go!" she said more forcefully, taking off again. But the strange creature continued to follow her, until she finally lost him amongst the giant fern leafs, the dreamwalker watching from high above as she ran off.

---

Tom stood and chuckled to himself, heading back to Grace and Norm. He looked at the three dimensional image of the Na'vi and smiled. First contact or what? he mused. Grace didn't seem impressed as he walked up to the pair but her face perked up considerably when he showed her their would-be assailant.

"Neytiri," she whispered, studying the photograph.

"Ney-who?" Tom asked.

"Neytiri, princess of the Omaticaya Clan. She used to attend my school, before Selfridge shut it down. I can't believe she was here. Or that you got so close."

Tom shrugged, taking back the camera and tagging the image with the subjects name and where it was taken. "Neytiri," he whispered.

"Come on you two," Grace said, collecting her pack. "Now I have you both here I don't intend to lose you again."

The rest of the day consisted of collecting samples and photographic records. The abundance and variation of life here was astonishing and Tom felt extremely grateful to be able to explore it so freely. As the Sun began to set beyond the horizon Grace lead them back to the Samson, stowing away their bags before climbing onboard.

As Tom strapped himself in, legs splayed out before him due to the low height of the ceiling, he looked out the open side doors and watched the forest disappear below them. Was she watching again? Neytiri. Like all expeditions he had found his muse and, with Grace's permission after his little stunt today, would hopefully find her again.


	4. Down & Out

A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews so far, hope everyone is enjoying the story. It's progressing a bit faster now the story has been set-up. You'll have to wait and see how it plays out. Please keep on reading & reviewing.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?!"

They stood alone in the vegetable patch behind the school house, all the other avatars having retired to their beds for the night. Grace shoved an angry finger against Tom's chest, her blue features livid. He held up his hands defensively.

"Nobody got hurt, and if I remember correctly that was because of me," Tom replied hastily.

Grace took a step forwards, her flat face almost touching Toms own.

"It could have been a lot worse, the only reason Neytiri even aimed her bow at Norm was because I wasn't with him because of you. Christ, I told you to stay with me for one trek, one! And you couldn't even do that. I should pull your link and just leave you with Selfridge."

She turned away quickly, running a hand through her braids. Tom felt crestfallen, he knew it was a stupid move but he never meant to cause this much trouble for the doctor.

"Tomorrow you can go and do whatever you want, but if you're not back when we leave... well, you'll get to see another side of Pandora after nightfall."

He'd gotten what he wanted, but at what price? Grace stalked off, angrily pushing plants out of her way. Lying down on his bunk, his mind was racing with thoughts of what he should do tomorrow. Closing his eyes he waited for the inevitable roller coaster ride back to reality.

---

"That was quite a stunt you pulled today."

Tom looked up from his plate, the mess hall nearly deserted at this time of night. Colonel Quaritch stood behind him, a pad in his hands. It was the link recording from his earlier mission, playing over and over again.

"Oh shit," he murmured.

"Oh shit indeed," Quaritch said, sitting down beside him. "That was some grade-A stealth you pulled off boy. I can see your brother wasn't the only decent soldier in the family."

"I'm not a soldier," Tom said, more forcefully than he meant to.

"No, you're the brother who went to school and studied hard so he could take pretty pictures of animals. Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush with you, we both know how this is going to end. The Company wants what's under those savages tree and one way or another we're going to get it."

"Not if Augustine has anything to do with it," Tom said, turning to face the man.

"Please, the only reason she's here is so the Company can say they 'tried' to find a peaceful solution. I could think of a very different use for an avatar body given the right mind and skillset."

"Good thing Augustine would never let you put a marine in one then," Tom said.

"Listen, my men just don't have the experience to run stealth-ops through this kind of terrain. Special Forces are equipped for tracking people, not these damn aliens. And as much as you and Augustine claim these savages are just like us they still hunt and track like animals. But you, you my boy managed to get beside one on your first day in the bush. What's the betting you could make it all the way to their treehouse without a single one of those monkeys laying eyes on you?"

"You want me to spy on them?!" Tom exclaimed incredulously. "Why the hell would I do that?"

"Look, either way we're going to be getting all the intel your little yellow eyes see. If you agree to point them in the direction I want, I can authorise any solo mission you want. No more hiding behind the good doctor. Think about it, you get to go off and do what you want to do, and help everyone out at the same time."

"And if I refuse?" Tom asked, already knowing the answer. Quaritch patted the pad resting beneath his fingers.

"I'm sure Selfridge would enjoy watching this. Doubt he'd risk letting you out of the compound ever again if he sees how you treat a multi-million dollar investment."

"How do I stop Grace finding out?" Tom asked, resigned to his fate. He looked with disdain at the rest of the food lying on his plate, suddenly having lost his appetite.

"We have a mobile link station up at Site 26, it hasn't been used in months. We'll ship you out there, no need for anyone else to know."

"Great." The thought of being alone for god-knows how long didn't appeal to Tom but it was either that or never see the forest again. All because he'd been so eager to get out there in the first place. "When?"

"A transport will take you and your avatar at 0600 tomorrow morning." Quaritch stood smugly, straightening his uniform. "And Tom, don't try and screw with me or I'll make sure no-one comes and picks you up when we're done."

---

"Where are you off to?"

Tom felt himself caught like a deer in headlights, one hand carefully stuffing equipment into his bag, the other holding the tiny penlight between blue fingertips. Norm had obviously got up to go to the bathroom but instead stumbled upon Tom packing his bag ready for the early morning flight.

"Nowhere, I just always pack early, make sure I have everything I need. Old habit," he lied quickly.

Norm yawned widely and scratched at his scalp. "Kay," he said, moving on. Sighing quickly, Tom finished packing and left the long house before he could return. The landing deck was already abuzz at this hour, personnel rushing between the assorted aircraft.

"Sully?" someone asked, running up to him. The soldier must have been more than six foot but was dwarfed as he approached, gas masked face looking up to meet Toms own.

"Yeah."

"This way," he said matter-of-factly, leading Tom towards an awaiting Samson, rotors slowly spinning up. Lying down in the back Tom made sure his avatar was securely fastened before unlinking. It was a lot easier for him to move his avatar himself and then join it later than having to cart it out of the compound and raise suspicions.

"See you in five," he said, closing his eyes and waiting for the link to finish.

Max was waiting for him in the lab, checking the link had broken cleanly. He looked shattered, having been woken early to perform the necessary operations.

"What's going on Tom?" he asked quickly as he helped him out of the pod.

"You know these military types, they'd probably shoot me if I said anything," he said, trying to make light of the matter. "I've just got to move base for a while, make some observations and then come home."

"But what do I tell Grace? When she finds out you and your avatar have gone she's going to go straight to Selfridge."

"Look, just tell her I'll be in touch. I'm trying to help the best way I can. The only way I can now."

"Fine," Max said, obviously annoyed. "Just make sure you take good care of that avatar. And yourself. Don't forget to exercise and eat when not in your avatar, otherwise you're going to find very quickly your human body will start falling apart."

"Thanks for the cheery advice," Tom said, grabbing his last remaining items. "See you in a few weeks hopefully."

"Good luck," Max said as the doors to the lab closed.

---

Sitting next to his avatar Tom couldn't help but marvel at the difference in size. He barely came up to its shoulder, even less in terms of leg length. Through the open sides he could see the vast plains give way to the steep mountains ahead. Holding his camera he snapped off a series of quick shots.

"Entering the vortex," the pilot announced, his voice crackling over the intercom.

"Vortex?" Tom asked the door gunner sitting next to him.

"Yeah, this whole area is like one giant magnet or something, screws with all of our electronics," he explained, then pointed out the side. "But it does make for some awesome views."

In the distance the first of the Hallelujah mountains came into view, suspended thousands of feet above the ground. Each seemed to hang in the air, waterfalls casting glittering clouds that turned the air to a fine mist. Tom felt his breath catch as he took in their majesty.

"I'd only heard about them, thought it was all hyperbole," he said, snapping off photos at the same time.

"Well you better get used to them, Site 26 is nestled away here. One little outpost amongst a thousand chunks of rock."

"And you're sure you can find your way back?" Tom asked, half jokingly.

"Don't worry Doc, we won't forget ya'," the gunner said, with what was supposed to be a reassuring grin on his face.

"Found it," the pilot called out and Tom could just make out the tiny shack nestled atop a small rock in the distance. The only way on or off was a small rope bridge that looked barely strong enough to take a man, much less a Na'vi. As the skids touched down Tom hopped off, grabbing all of his equipment. He helped the gunner place his avatar on the ground beside the chopper before shaking his hand and bidding him goodbye.

"See you in six weeks," he said before the rotor wash was too much and Tom took refuge in the squat building. It took barely a few minutes for him to have covered every square inch of the cramped space. A living quarter pod with bunk and cooking equipment, then a short connection to the lab pod that was dominated by the link chambers sitting against the wall.

"Home sweet home," Tom said to himself, stepping forwards and picking the most comfortable looking pod. He figured it would be best to get his Avatar up and ready before settling in himself, no point staying here if something was broken or he couldn't get to the mainland. Pulling up a survey map of the area he noted the location of Site 26 and the Na'vi home before lying down in the pod.

"Here goes nothing."

Setting the link countdown for thirty seconds he pulled the lid shut and let his mind go blank. The disorientation lasted only a few seconds now before Tom had found his feet, standing up outside the hut. Looking in through the window he watched the cocoon, encased in its spinning field before turning towards the rope bridge. The idea of not looking down was doubly reinforced as there really was no ground beneath him, only clouds in every direction. Finally reaching the other side Tom pulled out a compass and watched the needle spin in a hundred different directions. Looking up at Polyphemus he designated it North and proceeded to advance on a relative heading.

Setting out he hoped to find something to take his mind off his current predicament. He'd make a report tonight and embed a message for Grace's eyes only. Hopefully she'd understand why he'd had to do what he did. His wondering thoughts eventually returned to Neytiri and he wondered if it were possible he could find her in this entire forest.

"Only one way to find out," he said, pressing on.


	5. As Luck Would Have It

A/N: Starting to mirror some of the parts of the movie now with my own twists, hope you all like. Let me know what you think as well, reviews make great Christmas presents.

* * *

"What the hell have you done with one of my avatars?" Grace asked, storming across the Ops Centre. Selfridge carefully lined up another shot with his golf club, only glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"He's been reassigned," he said, making a gentle stroke with the putter.

"Oops," Grace said, knocking the cup out of the way at the end of the artificial green. "What do you mean reassigned Parker? He was my researcher, I'm in charge of what happens with the Avatar program."

"The Colonel came to me with some disturbing news about one of your latest members and I decided to let him act upon it, don't worry," he said, standing to face her, "Your blue monkey is safe."

----

Neytiri lay flat against the warm bark of the tree. She had heard the sky people's loud bird pass by earlier and followed it to the Thundering Rocks. Soon after she had found the dreamwalker she had been thinking about, cautiously making his way through the forest. Her bow lay flat against her back, untouched so far.

This new dreamwalker was different from any she had ever seen before; he moved with a grace through the trees she had not seen from any other. And he seemed to hold a deep respect for the life around him, never disturbing the things around him unless necessary. Even as she watched him she found it difficult to pick up any sounds, his scent the only trait belying his position. He had obviously spent much time as hunter amongst his own peoples.

She watched his cautious passage and felt her breath catch as she saw his intended destination. A Palulukan, barely visible against the foliage lay curled upon the ground, its huge bulk breathing shallowly. Surely he did not intend to attack the creature?

The dreamwalker pulled out a gleaming knife, carefully holding it in his hands. Neytiri felt her anger rise, carefully selecting an arrow from her quill. This dreamwalker would attack a sleeping beast, even one as terrible as the Palulukan? He had just lost Eywa's favour.

----

Tom carefully unsheathed his knife, trying to be as quiet as possible. The huge Thanator slept only a few metres away, its bulk impressive even in this docile state. Wedging the knife between roots, Tom used it as a makeshift monopod for his camera, planning to make a full spectrum analysis of the creature, something that could only be achieved with a stationary camera.

Without warning he felt a pair of eyes upon his back, a sense that had served him well and one he had come to trust. The forest was continually moving but he couldn't discern anything that would have caused such a reaction. New world, new sensations he finally thought to himself. Returning to his camera he made the final selections and set it running.

Having followed some of the last tribes on Earth, Tom knew a thing or two about arrows, the most important of which being the distinctive whistling sound they made as they flew through the air. He also knew that reaction was key, and dropped to the ground before his mind had even realised what was happening. A solid thunk echoed above him as a feather-tipped arrow embedded itself deeply into the wood, narrowly missing his chest. The Thanator, no longer sleeping, raised itself up, sensory quills scanning the air for the source of the disturbance. It emitted a low growl and slowly turned to face the tree Tom crouched behind.

----

As Neytiri saw the hybrid take cover behind the great tree she felt her breath catch. His small flashing rock sat atop the knife, pointing towards the Palulukan. He had never meant to hurt it, only watch and study with his alien device. She smacked her head in stupidity and selected another arrow. He had moved quicker than she had ever seen a man move, narrowly avoiding her arrow and certain death.

The great beast had now being rumbled, already turning towards the dreamwalker. If the alien was killed it would be her fault, upsetting the delicate balance of life that existed through the forest. She watched the hybrid look back over the bowl of the tree, retrieving his knife and rock in the process, only to come face to face with the Palulukan.

----

Tom stayed completely motionless, hoping the beast would ignore him. The delicate quills crowning its head quivered as they swept back and forth, hunting for him via some unknown mechanism. It's great mouth moved slowly, each tooth easily as big as his arm.

The list of available options was running out with every second. In its blind hunt it was edging ever closer to Tom, and would inevitably find him through sheer dumb luck, but he couldn't move lest he make even the tiniest sound. Slowly wrapping his hand around the camera's strap Tom closed his eyes and made one last desperate attempt to escape.

Swinging the camera using only his arm he let it fly, landing maybe twenty metres away against a tree, noisily breaking as it tumbled to the ground. The Thanator turned instantly, advancing with ant like motions towards the source of the sound.

Tom didn't wait, he moved as quickly as he could while keeping reasonably quiet. Grabbing the first vines on the tree he took cover behind he began a slow ascent, pulling himself up off the jungle floor. Further away the Thanator had ceased its search, unable to find anything of edible origins and instead began prowling back to where Tom had been.

With the huge creature just a few feet below him Tom held fast to the vines, willing them to support his weight for just a few more moments. Suddenly the first of the thin tendrils began to slip, his position shifting ever so slightly downwards. He could feel the tree trembling to support him, but not as hard as his own heart hammered. As he felt the last strength in the fibres give way a hand shot down to grip his forearm. He looked up into the face of the Na'vi he had seen yesterday, her large oval eyes focused on the beast below.

Carefully pulling she lifted him up to the branch she lay against, the pair of them staying flush and resting for a few moments. Eventually Neytiri stood slowly, pulling Tom up beside her. He watched her as she watched the Thanator below, taking in every detail he could. She turned to him suddenly, causing him to lower his eyes.

Placing a finger to her lips she led him along the branch, deftly jumping to a neighbouring tree without so much as causing a leaf to shake. Tom knew he was good, but he doubted he could match that kind of grace. They travelled in silence for several minutes, the Na'vi woman leading him a safe distance from the beast below.

"_Thank you_," he finally said in the Na'vi tongue when she stopped moving. Over the course of his career Tom had found it very handy to learn the native languages of wherever he found himself, and while the Na'vi was easily the hardest he had ever studied it was still worth the effort.

"_I ask forgiveness_," Neytiri finally said, turning her face away from his own.

Tom realised very quickly where that first arrow had come from and felt a smile grow on his face. So she had found him first, looks like he wasn't the only one left curious by their last encounter.

"_I don't blame you,_" he finally said, gently reaching out for her hand. "_You did what you thought was right._"

"You are not like the others," she said simply, stepping out of his grasp. "Always stomping around and making noise, like babies. But you, you are peaceful with forest dreamwalker."

"Tom," he said quickly, patting his chest. "My name is Tom."

_"Thom,_" Neytiri repeated, adding an extra constant to the sound. He knew better than to correct the pronunciation, he doubted he could say half the Na'vi words in his vocabulary correctly himself.

"_And you are Neytiri,_" Tom said. "_Doctor Augustine mentioned your name,_" he added quickly.

The female Na'vi blushed as if such a thing were possible, turning her cheek slightly.

----

She watched the dreamwalker before her, emotions conflicting. Her tribe had taught them all early on that the Sky People were not to be trusted, that only bad things would come of them. Then the dreamwalkers arrived, hybrids at first that confused and scared the native population. These abominations were an affront to Eywa Neytiri's mother had cried, come to infiltrate them and destroy the very essence of the Na'vi.

But over time Neytiri and others had come to know the dreamwalkers, finding them to be kind and compassionate compared to their human counterparts. Grace, the obvious leader, had become close to many of the children before the Humans school had had to be closed. Neytiri still had fond memories of her time there and missed the Doctor dearly.

So now, as she watched this new dreamwalker before her, all those old memories resurfaced. The conflicting responsibilities between her people and her passions tying up her emotions. This dreamwalker was different, and it seemed Eywa knew as much. A lone seed from the Tree of Souls fluttered gently downwards in the dying sunlight, coming to rest atop Tom's shoulder. He picked it up deftly, letting the Atokirina' rest on his palm.

"What is it?" he asked in the human tongue.

"A spirit, very pure," Neytiri replied, watching as more descended from the skies around them. She took a step backwards as they began to settle on Tom, enveloping his entire upper body. It took only a moment for Neytiri to make up her mind.

"Come," she said, turning and heading towards the Hometree as quickly as possible.

The dreamwalker turned to her, the last remaining seeds taking flight and leaving him as quickly as they had arrived. He looked stunned at this change in her demeanour, but followed soon enough, racing to catch up. Neytiri took great fun in pushing him through difficult manoeuvres but he followed her amply until his feet were suddenly robbed from under him.

----

Tom felt more alive than at any time in his life, chasing after the Na'vi woman when he suddenly saw the world fall upside down, his legs bound by some kind of slick rope. Crashing to the ground he didn't even have time to raise his arms before smacking against the tree branch and rolling a good dozen metres to the ground to land messily on the soft ground.

He moved quickly, senses driven into overdrive by the unexpected ambush. Reaching for his knife Tom slit through the thin material with ease, standing to face his attackers. He didn't have to wait long as half a dozen Direhorses charged into the small clearing he had landed in. Accompanying them, more Na'vi on foot took up positions around the perimeter, their poison tipped arrows pointing straight at his heart. Tom knew he didn't stand a chance, not with these odds, so he let his knife fall out of his hand, taking a more defensive posture of submission.

The leader of the party came forward, fluidly dismounting the giant horse like creature, his ornate body decorations clearly signifying him as someone of importance. He snarled viciously at Tom, pointed canines prominently showing.

"_I will not fight_," Tom spoke clearly, facing the leader. He kept his hands open, the better to show his intentions. The leader stalked around him, drawing a vicious looking bone knife from a chest sheath and placing it against Toms neck.

"_I am not your enemy_," he whispered quietly, locking eyes.

"_Calm people, calm!_" Neytiri shouted, landing nimbly next to Tom before placing herself between Tom and his attacker. "_He is with me Tsu'Tey, the great spirit of Eywa has shown me a sign, he must see Eytukan._"

Tom watched the interplay between these two with interest, wondering who held the higher rank. It was obvious both held respect and that Neytiri was now risking her own standing to protect him but to what end Tom did not know. The newcomer however took every available option to bare his teeth at him, obviously displeased to even be in the same presence as Tom. They spoke far too quickly for him to even begin to catch what they were saying, but he guessed it related to wherever Neytiri wished to take him.

Eventually the aggressive male nodded his head and Tom felt himself gripped tightly between two of the warriors behind him. The riders mounted their direhorses and left quickly, leaving Tom, Neytiri and those on foot to follow belong at a fast clip.

As they moved Tom caught a glimpse of a giant tree in the distance, instantly recognising it as the Na'vi's Hometree from the geologic surveys. As they neared its base, he craned his head back to even begin to comprehend how tall it must be, surely as tall as any skyscraper back on Earth. As the main Sun began to set behind the great gas giant Tom found himself plunged into a darker and more inhospitable environment.

As they passed between the giant roots Tom found himself the subject of attention for a great many assembled Na'vi. They wore only the most simple of garments, basic cloth to cover themselves modestly but little else. Small children ran around freely until they caught sight of the hybrid and took cover behind their parents. Tom couldn't help but smile at the familiarity of such human traits found so far away from home.

"_How many live here?_" Tom asked Neytiri as they moved hurriedly towards the inner chambers.

"_Our numbers are small, a thousand perhaps. We are only as many as is needed by Eywa._" A sharp jolt from one of the chaperones discouraged further talk.

As they entered the inner most sanctum Tom felt his jaw drop, staring up at the intertwining roots that seemed to rise to the very top of the tree itself. They spiralled about each other like a double helix of DNA, the amazing growth just another facet that he had yet to learn about Pandora.

From the spiral an elderly Na'vi descended, the regal-looking feathers and bones adorning his chest symbolising he was the Clan leader. He looked with disdain at the party and Tom felt his spirits fall; this wouldn't go down well.


	6. Welcome to the Jungle

"_What is the meaning of this?_" the old Na'vi asked, looking down upon the alien within their midst.

Neytiri moved closer to her father, trying to placate him before he made any decisions that could be considered final.

"_Please Father, he is of the Sky People..._"

"_Anyone could tell that, his alien smell fills my nose,_" he said harshly, to a chorus of laughs and jeers from the assembled crowd. Neytiri felt her resolve waver at such hate, but pushed past it quickly.

"_I saw a sign from Eywa, she has seen this dreamwalker,_" Neytiri pleaded. "_He knows the forest unlike any of the Sky People._"

Her father stepped forwards, standing before the intruder.

"_It is an honour to meet you Sir,_" Tom said respectfully amazed that Neytiri held such a high position within the clan, he managed to catch the Elders eyes for a moment before he turned away sharply. A new Na'vi had appeared, slowly walking down the spiral roots, taking in the scene playing out before her. The colourful beads and patterns made Tom think more of an old shaman and his suspicions were soon proved correct.

"_Mother, please,_" Neytiri pleaded.

Mother and Father as high members of the Clan? Tom had either made a very wise choice or royally screwed himself. The old woman circled him much like Tsu'Tey had earlier. Pulling a thin bone from her neckbrace she pricked his skin and quickly tasted his blood, evidently deeming it to be worthy. Tom stood still resolutely, unfamiliar at such a practice but feeling it best to let events play out without him making a fool of himself.

"What is your name?" she finally asked.

"Tom Sully."

"Thomsully," she repeated, a definite purr to the voice. "And why are you here Thomsully?"

"To learn about you and your people," he replied quickly.

"We have tried to teach Sky People. It is hard to fill a cup that is already full."

"How can you know if a cup is full unless you attempt to fill it some more?" Tom remarked.

The old woman turned to look at him, her piercing oval eyes gazing deeply into his own. He felt as if she were staring into his very heart, attempting to pass judgement upon his soul.

"You speak wisely Thomsully. Neytiri," the aged woman said, summoning her daughter. "_You will take this dreamwalker and see if his words are indeed true. Teach him our ways and we shall decide if he is worthy to walk amongst our People._"

"_Mother please, why must I..._" Neytiri began to protest but her mother cut her off with a wave of her hand, eliciting an angry snarl from the young Na'vi.

"You will learn to be a Na'vi Thomsully, then we shall see if you are worthy of Eywa's favour."

"_Thank you,_" Tom said, grateful at receiving such an opportunity. As the assembled crowd dispersed Tom was left standing before Neytiri who had taken on a decidedly less friendly persona.

"Come," she finally commanded, ascending the spiral roots to a wide open common area. Many Na'vi were seated around a central fire, obviously enjoying an evening meal, but all eyes instantly turned to fix on Tom as he followed Neytiri through the masses. Treading carefully between rows he took his seat beside Neytiri, accepting a simple clay pot with a thick paste inside. Deeming it to be better than some meals he had eaten in his time he ate happily in silence until a small child cautiously entered his field of vision.

"You Sky Person?" he asked shyly, obviously having trouble with the alien language.

"_Yes,_" Tom replied, setting his bowl aside. "_What's your name?_" he asked.

"_I am Ralu,_" the boy said proudly, placing a small fist against his chest.

"And _I am Tom,_" Tom said, mimicking the gesture to the delight of the small boy.

"_I see you now,_" the child said before running off back to his parents who quickly ran hands over his small form to ensure his brief encounter with a hybrid had not left any lasting traces.

"_What does that mean,_" Tom asked Neytiri quietly as they finished eating. "_They've seen me; is it a greeting?_"

She just shook her head in exasperation, set her empty bowl down and walked towards the higher branches. Tom followed quickly, taking a last scoopful of goop from his bowl. He caught up with her and she seemed more willing to talk without so many eyes watching them.

"It mean to see into person, see their spirit," she attempted, obviously unused at having to explain such simple concepts. "Come," she ordered, a familiar human word for her to say now.

Lying down in a hammock, suspended high above the forest floor, Tom felt at peace finally. This was how he was used to spending his nights back on Earth, not cooped up inside some metal coffin that was the only thing keeping the poisonous atmosphere out of his lungs.

As his thoughts drifted back to the Company and what they planned to do Tom made a decision to tell Neytiri as soon as he felt he had earned her trust. He would be hated for it, most likely executed as a spy of the Sky People, but he had seen what happened when large corporations decided they wanted something as badly as Earth needed Unobtanium. He couldn't let that happen here, not to a people of such pure heart.

"Good night," he murmured, leaving his Avatar body safe in the high branches of the Hometree.

----

Neytiri lay awake for a long time after hearing the dreamwalker slip into a peaceful slumber beside her. Her mother was right in her actions of course, if they had kicked the hybrid out into the wild he would definitely be hunted down by one of the other clan members before he could make it back to the humans, not to mention any of the other creatures that hunted during the twilight hours.

As her eyes drooped slowly she couldn't help but think back to the warnings her father had given her long ago, that all Sky People eventually betray those they seek to help. Would Thom be the same, would he just use them like all the others of his kind or was he truly different?

Did Eywa truly know what was best any more with these aliens now poisoning the land? Sleep came finally, but it was not restful for the young Na'vi princess.

----

Tom lay in the link pod for the longest time, just staring upwards in the incandescent light. Eventually finding the energy to heave the lid open he sat up awkwardly, his body having barely moved in the past god-knows how many hours.

Grabbing a ration bar from a shelf he sat in front of the sole workstation in the outpost and began composing his log report. Staring into the camera's lens he debated at length what to actually say.

"This is mission report number 2, time is 23:20 and I am now stationed in the middle of nowhere in the Hallelujah mountains. I made contact today with the Na'vi known as Neytiri but... lost her amongst the denser forest areas. I have also encountered several other forms of native wildlife and unfortunately lost my primary camera in one such case."

Not all of it was a lie he told himself, just an omission of sorts. As he was so far away they wouldn't be able to check the full telemetry logs and see he was lying, it was a risk, but a necessary one.

"Tomorrow I'll attempt to get closer to the Na'vi, see if I can't learn something from them. Fnu upxare."

He hoped Grace got the message and that Quaritch would ignore the alien gibberish. Sending it back to the ops centre, Tom lay down on the small bunk and let himself fall into a deep sleep. Tomorrow would be a long day he sighed.

----

Watching the latest log from Site 26 Grace smirked at the signoff, instantly translating the words in her mind. "Quiet message," she whispered to herself, typing the English translation into her pad. Instantly a second video file appeared, hidden behind the first and obviously meant for her eyes only.

"If you're watching this then I assume you got my little code," Tom said on the screen, scratching at the stubble that had started to grow on his chin. "I met Neytiri again but didn't lose her; my Avatar is sleeping in a hammock suspended in the Hometree next to hers. I have been invited in by the Clan leaders to learn their ways and intend to help as much as I can. Quaritch is going to do whatever it takes to get these people to leave and I don't intend to give them any false hope about what will happen.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you this before I left but it was too risky. I need you to trust me to do the right thing Doctor, I don't want to see bloodshed anymore than you do. Sully out," the video concluded.

Grace felt her anger at having being robbed by Selfridge fade as she realised she now had a mole within Quaritch's ranks. He would be relying on the intel Tom sent back, and if he was as smart as he'd already demonstrated, the closest he'd get would be a nice chunk of disinformation to send them on completely the wrong track.

"Good luck Tom," she said, wiping the hidden recording from all memory banks. "You'll need it," Grace murmured, thinking about her time with Neytiri and what that nimble fox could do.


	7. Pa'li

A/N: Only a short chapter today seeing as how it's Christmas but I hope you all like. A few more chapters that are similar to the main story to come, then it'll branch off once more. Happy Holidays everyone.

* * *

"No, higher," Neytiri said, clipping Tom on his elbow so he held the bow with the correct posture. "No, stronger here," she said again, placing a hand to his firm belly. He looked over at her quickly, not expecting the contact and as such let the arrow fly early, harmlessly burying itself into the ground a few feet away.

"Sorry," he said quickly, drawing another from his quill. His nerves were still shot and whilst the next arrow flew further it missed the tree he was aiming for by a wide margin. Neytiri snorted before cupping a hand to her mouth, eyes avoiding Toms glowering stare.

'If you miss with next shot, you must clean all eating bowls tonight," Neytiri said behind him, giving him a reason to make the next arrow count.

"And if I hit it?" Tom asked.

"I surprise you," Neytiri said, placing her arms around his as he held the bow before him. "You not be disappointed."

Taking aim Tom sighted down the thin shaft of the arrow, calming his breathing and trying to hold his body just like Neytiri had taught him. He could feel her warmth behind him, urging him to succeed. Loosing the arrow he watched it fly true, embedding itself deeply into the very centre of the tree. He whooped in success, the alien sound making Neytiri shrink back before she joined in with her own smile.

"Come," she hurriedly said, grabbing his hand and taking him from the great tree.

"Where are we going?" he asked, trying to keep up with her.

"Your surprise," she said simply, leading him away from the great tree and into the local bush. A herd of direhorses waited patiently, drinking some form of nectar from the plants that grew around the open clearing.

"This is _Pa'li_," she said, gently stroking one of the lumbering animals with her hand. "Come," she said, motioning him over and taking hold of his long queue. As the hairs fell away he saw the nerve tendrils moving slowly in the air, Neytiri moving them closer to a similar bundle that ran from the direhorses own head.

"This is _Tsahaylu_," she explained, "The Bond. It make you and Pa'li as one."

Letting the nerves intertwine Tom felt his mind expand, the very essence of the great horse filling his soul. He could feel it within him, the deep steady heart beat, the strong powerful legs. It was an exhilarating feeling and one he couldn't compare to anything he had felt before."

"You are now bonded, she will do as you will," Neytiri said, stepping back and allowing Tom time to find his place on the creatures back.

"So I just think forwards and she..." he began before the great horse was off at a fast trot, nearly dragging Tom behind. He had ridden before, but never anything with more than four legs and he felt uncomfortable with the alien rhythm, more reminiscent of an ants movements than any horse. It took a few minutes but he soon had the direhorse moving at a steady trot around the clearing, much to Neytiri's delight. Coming closer to her he leaned down, cheekily grasping at her tail.

"Race you," he said as she swatted at him, before turning towards the winding river in the distance and urging the direhorse into a full gallop. Neytiri didn't miss a beat, bonding with her own stead and setting off in pursuit in one fluid motion. They chased each other along the banks of the river, sending clouds of spray up behind them. Neytiri caught up quickly, hanging off the side of her horse to snatch at Tom's own tail. He banked off sharply at the last moment, plunging into the jungle with a hearty laugh. Neytiri was caught unaware by the sudden change in direction, pulling her horse round in a sharp arc.

Tom laughed as he headed deeper into the forest, giving her an easy trail to follow. Without warning he found his path blocked, the direhorse rising up on its rear-two most legs. Before him half a dozen warriors sat proudly on their own horses. Tsu'tey sat foremost, anger evident in his every feature.

"You should not be here _faketuan_," he said angrily, moving closer to Tom and violently severing the link between Tom and the direhorse. Tom felt the beast shudder beneath him and bent closer to calm it. It was inevitable there would be those who were displeased with his invitation to the clan, but he had to show his determination lest they chase him from this opportunity.

"Race me," Tom said finally, motioning the direhorse forwards using just his body and not his mind.

Tsu'tey turned mockingly to his crowd and repeated the hybrids words.

"_It would not even be a fair race_," Tsu'tey said, turning back to Tom.

"_Then let's make it fair. You must sever your bond also._"

Tsu'teys face dropped at the request, obviously never expecting such a challenge. He now found himself as the one in trouble rather than Tom. Snarling quietly he removed his queue from the direhorse's long tendril and carefully brought it to stand next to Toms.

"To the Hometree," Tsu'tey said, barely giving Tom time to think before he had kicked his horse into a full gallop and was off.

They charged into the jungle, each lying low against their direhorse's back. Tom could feel the trees whipping overhead, never having travelled so fast. Whilst Tsu'tey was faster he lacked the experience to guide his direhorse without the Bond and so quickly fell behind as he had to manoeuvre it manually between the trees in the direction he needed. Tom shifted his weight expertly, the direhorse responding beautifully to the alien commands.

As he reached the clearing around the Hometree Tom felt the air behind him explode as Tsu'tey came charging up beside him, decidedly worse for wear. As they reached the final straight any stragglers going about their business hurriedly dived out of the way of the two oncoming racers, shouting angrily at the pair. Tom could feel Tsu'tey gaining on him and whispered quietly into his horses ear, urging it to slow a fraction.

Tsu'tey pulled his horse to a stop a moment before Tom came sliding up beside, whooping in delight at having beaten the dreamwalker. Slowly his cohort arrived behind them, sharing in the glorious victory. Tom just dismounted his direhorse slowly and led it away from the crowds, not wanting to face the inevitable taunts and insults. He found Neytiri waiting for him around one of the large roots, a mischievous grin on her face.

"You _fpak_," she said, using the Na'vi word for holding off. "Why slow, you could have beaten Tsu'tey fairly?"

Tom gently patted his direhorse's nose, feeling a bond growing already. "And if I had won?" he asked, letting Neytiri mull over the question.

----

The dreamwalker was right of course. Her future-mate would not have taken kindly to being bested by an outsider, especially at something as trivial as a Pa'li race. Thom had allowed him this victory and in so doing allowed Tsu'tey to feel dominance over him. A small sacrifice in the grand scheme of things.

"You are of kind heart," Neytiri said, placing a gentle hand against Tom's cheek. He looked up slowly into her eyes, for the first time truly allowing himself to look into them. Neytiri felt her heart falter, the new feelings for this dreamwalker clashing against the responsibilities for her clan, for Tsu'tey. Could she allow her own feelings to supersede those of her People?

Over the next few days she taught him more, explaining the culture of her people, their ways and pastimes. The dreamwalker took great enjoyment watching the dances at night, even participating when invited. His laughter become infectious and soon Neytiri found herself more and more comfortable in his company. They spent many hours riding through the forest, Thom always willing to learn more about the life that enveloped them all.

----

"This is report thirty-seven, time is... just gone midnight. Neytiri says she thinks I'm ready for the final test. We went hunting today and I made my first kill. I know what the Omaticaya mean now when they talk about Eywa, that all life is sacred. If I pass the last challenge I will tell my secret to them all, I can't delay it any longer. Quaritch still thinks I'm watching them from a distance, passing back reports saying how great their numbers are. I'm already thinking of what we can do but I'm going to need your help with my plan Grace. All of the Omaticaya People will."


	8. Soar

A/N: Well here's one more chapter for Christmas Day, definitely moved the story forwards a lot more. And I think leaving somethings unsaid is a lot more powerful than anything one could ever write. I hope you all enjoy it, a massive thank you to all those who have left reviews so far, you really make it worth it.

* * *

"Stay still," Neytiri commanded, dipping her fingers in the orange dye before drawing a simple pattern upon Toms face. Symbologists would debate at length the reasons behind each marking as well as the act itself, but Tom knew it was a great honour to be decorated with the tribal paints of the Clan. He felt Neytiri's soft fingers run over his skin, keeping his eyes fixed upon hers as she worked.

"I'm still not sure about this," he admitted quietly. Neytiri stopped her painting for a moment, never having heard the dreamwalker show fear or apprehension before. She knew he was not comfortable in the high branches but she assumed that hesitancy had been lost over the weeks they spent together. After explaining the final rites of passage she watched the dreamwalker become more and more uneasy in what was ahead.

"You will do well, Eywa has put great faith in you Thomsully," she finally said, taking one of his alien hands in her own and pressing their fingers together so that he had one digit left untouched. "The _Ikran_ will only choose you if it knows you are worthy of heart."

"Do you have faith in me?" Tom said, stepping closer so that his arms encircled the smaller Na'vi woman. She looked to the side shyly, feeling her heart beat as if a Palulukan were standing before her and not an alien hybrid.

"We are all One, to trust another is to trust all. Do you trust me Thomsully?"

"With my life," he admitted honestly, letting his arms drop lower as he looked up into the sky, watching the wild Ikrans flit above. Soon he would be high above amongst them.

"Then you will do fine," Neytiri laughed, daubing a last dollop of paint on his forehead. "Now go, Tsu'tey will lead the initiates through the Thundering Rocks."

Picking up his bow, Tom took one last deep breath and hurried off. "Good luck," Neytiri whispered before heading to find her own Ikran and circumvent the torturous journey to the summit of the floating mountains.

---

Tsu'Tey stood waiting impatiently at the base of the floating mountains, only two other young Na'vi accompanying him. He snorted with disdain at Tom's markings, because of the harried fingermarks or who had painted them Tom couldn't tell.

"We go," he said with authority, leading the trio for their trip. The direhorses could only take them so far, eventually resorting to them climbing the near vertical mountains, the constant swaying motion not helpful coupled with the strong winds. Eventually reaching what appeared to be the top of the stack they were climbing Tom looked around, oblivious to where to go next. Tsu'tey stood beside him and snorted before taking a running leap of the edge of the rock, grabbing hold of a vine that hung precariously before them. Without pausing the other two Na'vi followed suit, all three slowly inching themselves higher.

Tom peered cautiously over the edge of the gap, his heart leaping into his mouth. Heights. Of all the things for the final test to involve, why did it have to be height? he wondered angrily to himself. He had come too far to give up now but his body seemed to resist any thoughts, as if his psionic link had suddenly become interrupted at the thought of putting his avatar through such a torturous ordeal.

Taking one final gulp of air, Tom ran full pelt, arms outstretched to snatch at a vine before him. Fingers thrashing wildly he slid several feet before managing to catch himself. Clinging tight to compose himself he followed the others upwards as quickly as he could, though they had obviously being waiting for some time when he finally arrived at the top. One of the youngsters reached out to give him a hand over the edge but withdrew his hand quickly when Tsu'tey cracked his bow against it harshly.

At this high an altitude the continual screech of the wild Ikrans was easily audible over the rushing wind, though their nesting place remained out of view. The small cave they had found themselves in was suddenly buffeted by a blast of wind as Neytiri elegantly guided her own beast in through the wide opening, gently patting it on the beak as she dismounted and walked towards the party.

"_You should not be here_," Tsu'tey said angrily, blocking her path.

"_Eywa asked me to watch over Thomsully, I am following her wishes_," she said quietly, placing a hand against the warriors chest to placate him. "_I will not interfere, I come only to watch._"

"_I'awn_," he said finally, _stay_. "Follow," he commanded to the rest of the group. As Tom passed her, Neytiri touched his arm lightly, her eyes finding his for an instant. "Just like we practised," Neytiri said. "_Eywa ngahu_." Eywa be with you.

Tom felt his heart lift, and quickly hurried on with a spring in his step which faltered all too soon when he saw their destination. At least a score of the giant beats called a narrow outcropping home, some resting peacefully, others engaged in various activities. Even as they stood watching more arrived, angrily vying for space amongst the rocks.

"Dreamwalker, you first," Tsu'tey said with obvious relish, standing back to let Tom pass. The Ikran did not take kindly to his presence as Tom moved between them, squawking loudly and taking flight as he approached each in turn. As he passed the midway point Tom felt a heavy thud behind him and turned to see an Ikran standing firmly between him and the only way off this rock. The great beast bowed its head low, emitting an angry hiss from a sharp mouth.

"Guess you're my ride," Tom said, carefully unwinding the binding rope he had been learning to use and swinging it slowly back and forth. The giant bird hissed again before starting to turn away. "Oh no you don't," Tom said, leaping with all his strength for it.

The giant bird thrashed violently as Tom grabbed hold and sought purchase on its back, wrapping his legs around its muscular neck in an attempt to lock himself in place before it bucked him off too soon. The beak, unrestrained and full of sharp teeth, gnashed wildly at him, nearly taking off an arm before he could wrap his rope around securely. Now came the hard part, making the first Bond. With the bird now in even more of a panic it moved frantically, doing everything in its power to rid itself of this unwelcome parasite.

As Tom fought to find the Ikrans neural interface he suddenly felt the world lurch sideways. The bird in its haste had stepped over the side of the mountain and was now tumbling wildly downwards, the clouds and obscured ground rushing upwards at them. Frantically grabbing his own queue Tom shoved the two together, feeling the bond rush through his system. Nothing like a trial by fire he thought, letting his desire to rise flow through the link and into the Ikran. It responded as if they had been born together, instantly extending its wings and soaring upwards in a gentle arc.

Tom felt the wind whip through his hair, the world spreading out before him in all directions. He patted the Ikrans side, amazed at having finally succeeded in overcoming one of his long standing fears. Without warning another Ikran flew by overhead, nearly decapitating him in the process. Looking over he saw Neytiri laughing playfully, banking her Ikran to fly alongside him.

They flew for together until the Sun gave way to night and the cold winds made their skin shiver. Setting down at the top of the Hometree Tom had never been so relieved to have a solid footing beneath his feet, even if he was still high above real ground. Neytiri embraced him tightly as they walked downwards, praising him on his first flight. It seemed he had passed the final rite of passage to becoming a member of the Omaticaya Clan with flying colours and the whole tribe would be celebrating his second-birth tonight.

Neytiri took great care decorating him for his moment of glory, painting exquisite patterns upon his skin. He still couldn't quite believe how far he had come in such a short amount of time. As soon as Neytiri had told him of the final test, the last pieces of his plan had come together and even now Tom was thinking how he would tell her of the troubles that lay ahead and what he must do to prevent it.

Standing before Eytukan and Mo'at, Tom felt more proud than he had at any point in his life. As each member of the clan linked bodies and he was finally accepted as one of the People, Tom knew that he would give his life to defend these people.

"You are one of us now Thomsully," Mo'at said, her piercing stare cutting deeply into Toms very soul. Could she see what ailed him so badly?

----

Neytiri lead the dreamwalker through the iridescent fields away from the Hometree, her heart as light as a seed from the Tree of Souls. Tom chased playfully after her, enamoured after finally joining her people. He knicked playfully at her tail, causing her to dance out of his way. Finally she arrived at the Tree of Voices, a sacred place for all of her kind and one that Thom was now worthy of seeing for himself.

"This is very special place, all Na'vi that have been are here," she explained, taking one of the long tendrils from the tree in her hands. "You can hear all their thoughts, their feelings." Gently placing her queue against the tendril Neytiri closed her eyes and appeared to be lost deep in thought.

Tom followed her actions, placing his own queue against a tendril and instantly felt the voices of many wash through his mind. It was a surreal sensation, as if he were at one with them all, knew each intimately and felt every hope and desire that had ever been shared. Eventually he pulled himself away, finding Neytiri standing studying him in the pale blue light.

"You are Omaticaya now," she began slowly, turning her body sideways ever so slightly. "You may make your bow from the wood of Hometree. And choose a mate from the women of the tribe."

Tom stepped closer, an instinctual drive pushing him forwards until he stood before her.

"Ney'nat has the best voice amongt the Omaticaya," Neytiri said quietly, turning her face away from Toms.

"She most certainly does," Tom repeated.

"And Pey'lal is the most skilled huntress."

"She is, but I don't want Pey'lal," Tom whispered back quietly. "I've already decided which woman I want, but she must choose me as well."

Neytiri lifted her eyes towards Toms and felt herself lost in them.

"She already has."


	9. In Confidence

A/N: Sorry for the delay dear readers, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. Definitely gearing up for the final act now. Please let me know what you all think, reviews are greatly appreciated.

* * *

Tom could feel the morning sun shining through the viewport windows in the small outpost on his skin. His body ached from days of inactivity, all of Doctor Patel's warnings having evidently been in vain. Sitting at the small workstation, the camera inactive before him, Tom chewed on a ration bar, his eyes unfocused as he reviewed the activities of the prior night.

They had mated, that much he could recall with vivid detail. But Neytiri had also bonded with him, their queues entwined, unleashing a rush of emotions that had threatened to blow his mind beyond all worldly proportions. He understood now how a Na'vi would mate with only one partner for life, to be that close to another soul was truly breathtaking. Only the passions of the moment and will to spare Neytiri his pain had saved him from letting the concern that gnawed at him pass through the link. Leaving his sleeping avatar curled around Neytiri he had pulled himself back to his human reality, already feeling the deep regret in the pit of his stomach for being so far away from her.

A soft beeping began emanating from the computer before him, its tone drawing Toms attention from the world outside his window. Quaritch was attempting to open a comm channel with him, his last report having been... he couldn't even remember when. Accepting the request Tom took one last look at the world beyond his metal coffin.

----

Neytiri pulled Thoms arm over her form, feeling his powerful arms and rhythmic breathing against her skin, the soft grass enveloping them both. Around them, the sounds of Eywa permeated through the jungle, a million different life-forces, all calling out together. She had never felt like this, not once in all the times Tsu'tey had courted with her.

As they lay together the first tremblings of the ground alerted Neytiri to an approaching danger. It seemed as if the very soil beneath her were vibrating, a beast of gigantic proportions marching towards them. Moments later the first sounds of crashing trees reached her ears. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was the Sky People's doing, whatever it was that was coming for them. Prodding Thom sharply in the arm she elicited no response, his mind having left the body in his slumbering moments. Her motions became increasingly panicked as the sound of the metal beasts drew nearer, the visible tops towering over the lower canopy even now.

Using every ounce of body weight she had she attempted to drag Thom away but the muscular hybrid form proved too much for her and she acceded after only a few metres. Straddling his chest she angrily beat at him, tears welling in her eyes as the many-toothed mouth of the great beast began to tower over them, desecrating the Tree of Voices before them.

"Please Thom!" she pleaded, prepared to lay down and stay with him if only to share another moment with her dreamwalker. "Please come back to me."

----

"I don't care what kind of BS excuses you have son, I want good hard intel and so far you've been less use than an ice-cube maker in the Arctic!"

Tom felt his anger rise but knew he had to keep a steady head. Everything, the fate of the Na'vi, Hometree and his own life, depended on keeping Quaritch in the dark for as long as possible. He wasn't a brilliant strategic leader, but it didn't take one to realise that putting a thousand natives armed with nothing more than bows and arrows against a well-equipped military force was at best suicide and at worst genocidal madness.

They needed the element of surprise. And Quaritch was not making things easy.

"I can't get anywhere near the Hometree without one of the locals picking up my scent and sniffing me out. They get very defensive Colonel, I'd rather play it slow than hung if you catch my drift."

"You don't get me what I need, you'll be swinging from the arm of my AMP suit," Quaritch said, his face expanding to fill the display. "Our diggers are already beginning to clear Sector 11, all you..."

"Sector 11?" Tom cut in, worry edging into his voice.

"That's right, why?" Quaritch asked, instantly scrutinising the young scientist on his screen. Tom felt his gaze falter, lump rising in his throat. The Tree of Voices was in Sector 11, Neytiri, god he had left her there all alone, let alone his own avatar body in the process.

"It's a very sacred place to the Na'vi, if you destroy that there'll be no hope of any diplomatic relations!" Tom started angrily, sliding across in his chair to begin the link pod's warmup cycle.

"New orders from the Top, we are moving these people away from that damn tree whether they co-operate or not," Quaritch said, a relishing glint in his eye.

"Please, just let me try and talk to them," Tom said, fiddling with more of the controls.

"What are you doing?!" Quaritch spat, trying to watch Tom in the peripheries of the cameras vision. "Are you getting ready to link?"

"I parked my avatar in the path your jarheads are about to demolish," he said quickly, kicking the chair away and not hiding his actions anymore.

"Well then you had better be quick, because native or half-native we are not going to stop this operation for anything anymore. Quaritch out."

"I got that much," Tom said, killing the comm channel and nearly diving into his pod. Slamming the lid shut he waited for the light bridge to end and reality to return to him.

----

Neytiri could feel the life breathing back into Thom's body, felt his mind rejoin her on the forest floor. Thom stood quickly, staring at the machine before running in the opposite direction as if he already knew to expect them. He pulled her behind him quickly, slipping through the thick vegetation and seeking shelter.

"Thom, what is happening?" she asked tearfully, trying to draw his gaze away from the giant machines. He looked crestfallen for a moment, his eyes welling up alongside hers.

"I'm sorry Neytiri, I'm so sorry," he finally admitted, turning haunted eyes towards her. "This is all my fault."

"No, you couldn't have known," she said, placing a gentle, comforting hand against his cheek. As he turned his gaze away she felt her hand fall short, the realisation of his confession seeping into her very soul.

"But... but, all of our ancestors, everything, you did nothing to stop them? You lead them to our home, our most sacred grounds?!"

"Please, I didn't know, I thought we had more time, I was going to tell you!"

"When?! When you had got everything you wanted from us, from me!" she said in self-disgust. It wasn't a question and the statement drove a dagger deep into Tom's chest.

"It's not like that," Tom said quickly, pleading in his voice.

"Go," Neytiri whispered, pushing Toms seeking hands away. "Go and never return," she nearly screamed at him, turning and running back towards the Hometree herself, not once glancing back at the destruction behind her.

Tom felt the anger rise within him, a power unlike anything that had ever coursed within his veins filling his very being with the desire to stop those who had taken from him what he had so valiantly earned. Grabbing a rock the size of a mans head he leapt from the bushes, mounting the digger in deft strides before pummelling the cameras on top until his arm hung weakly by his side. The assembled military escort opened fire, their rounds tearing up the air at the manic monkey astride the digger. One clipped the alien in a shoulder, sending it tumbling to the ground.

The dozen men sprinted quickly to the front of the digger, its progress halted from the Ops Centre a hundred miles away. The blue alien lay immobile on the ground, its blood gently seeping onto the tilled soil. The leader stepped forwards, placing the muzzle of his rifle to its forehead.

"Wait!" one of the others called out, kneeling beside the large form and lifting one of its hands up for a closer inspection. "It's got four fingers, not three," he said quickly.

"So?" the leader spat impatiently, obviously wanting to end the things life as quickly as possible.

"It's an Avatar, not a Na'vi," the soldier explained quickly. "If we shoot this thing the Company'll take it out of our paychecks for the rest of our lives."

"Why the hell would a human be trying to smash one of our diggers?" another soldier piped in quickly, scratching at the seal of the exopack around his face.

"Who knows and who cares," the leader finally said. "Drag it into the digger bay, we'll radio it back to Hells Gate and let the Colonel sort it out."

----

Neytiri crashed noisily through the brush, bursting into a group of women sitting before the main entrance to the Hometree. She didn't even pause to apologise, just kept on running until her legs burnt and her lungs could not draw in any more breath. Collapsing against the central spiral she wailed for all to hear.

Her mother arrived first, the wisened spiritual leader cradling her child to her chest as only a parent can do so in times of distress.

"Tell me," she said soothingly, rocking backwards and forwards.

Neytiri moaned, not daring to open her eyes lest she begin crying again. "It is gone sa'nok! The faketuan have destroyed the Tree of Voices."

Those that had gathered around them drew away at the news, muttering amongst themselves as to the veracity of the claim. Neytiri continued unabashed, letting the dark feelings flow through her all at once.

"They came and tore the roots from the very ground. It lay silent," she choked.

"Come now my child," her mother tried consoling. "Why, why would the Sky People do such a thing?"

"Thomsully," Neytiri whispered, looking up into her mothers eyes. "He is the cause of all this. He lead them to our sacred grounds."

"I knew it!" Tsu'tey erupted from the front of the crowd, bow held high in his hand to demand attention. "Those traitorous vermin, they are no better than _nantang_! Eytukan was right, we should never have trusted the dreamwalker."

Neytiri clung tighter to her mother, unable to refute the words he said and feeling all the worse because of it.

"We must not let this act go unpunished," Tsu'tey shouted, taking position amongst the people as most respected warrior. "We must show the Sky People that we are Eywa's children, not them!"

Cheers erupted throughout the masses, the rhythmic drumming of a cry for war.

"He lives in the Thundering Rocks," a voice piped up, the small child who had stood before Tom on his first night. "The dreamwalker told me, he lives alone from the other Sky People amongst the floating rocks."

Tsu'tey smiled wickedly, assembling his most trusted compatriots at the forefront of the crowd. "We shall fly for the mountains at once and rid our world of this demon when he is most vulnerable!"

The crowd cheered as they raced for the high branches and their Ikrans. Neytiri felt her world crumble around her as she watched them go with the full support of her people-to-be. They would kill her life partner, because of the guilt he felt for his own kinds actions. No, it could not be allowed. Pulling herself from her mother, she hurried after them.

"Go," her mother whispered, "Be with your mate."

----

Tom felt his body pulled back into the inadequate form he called a human body, the shared neural link causing pain to blossom across his shoulder as if it had been pierced by a bullet itself. Kicking open the pod lid he rolled out angrily, hammering his fist down on the computers keyboard. Words flickered across, too fast for his disorientated mind to read or comprehend.

"Lockdown... on approach... security override..."

They knew then, they knew he had turned against them and they were coming to get him. Sitting down on his bunk Tom pulled out an unused standard-issue pistol, checking it still had a full magazine. Between Gods and Demons drawing close to him he didn't fancy his chances of survival.

Cocking the weapon he took one last look at the world beyond his little metal coffin.

"I'm sorry Neytiri," he whispered.


	10. Hung, Drawn & Quaritch

A/N: Another day, another chapter. Seems a lot of you (dis)liked the cliffhanger ending, may have to do that more often to get you commenting. Anyway, definitely heading towards the last few chapters now, it will definitely play out a lot differently to how the film did that's for sure. As always, hope you enjoy it and please don't forget to leave a comment, no matter how short.

* * *

It was never quiet, he had come to expect that, the constant rumbling of many waterfalls, the early morning calls of a hundred wild banshees. But even now he could hear the Samsons and Scorpion gunships on approach, no doubt searching for him amongst the mountains, using nothing but their eyes.

Finished on the workstation Tom took one last glance around his tiny home for the past few months. Grabbing his rucksack and exopack Tom kicked open the airlock door, not bothering to wait for the complete cycle to finish. Ensuring a tight seal between his skin and the mask he moved off quickly, heading for the opposite direction to the rope bridge leading towards the mainland. Heights be damned, he didn't intend to make it easy for Quaritch to track his prey and he would sure as hell put up a fight.

Many pilots bemoaned the electric interference the vortex created, forcing them back to old archaic methods of navigation. Woe betide they had to try and track him using only visual flight rules, it'd be more likely two Scorpions would meet for a metal kiss around a rock before plummeting to the ground far below. All favoured his odds albeit in an insignificant amount, they would find his base in minutes following the 'safe' air corridors and then track his progress swiftly thereafter.

Taking a running leap Tom felt his hands slip against the rocky surface of a neighbouring structure, not used to making such motions with his human body. Already he could feel himself struggling, weeks of inactivity having robbed his body of its once youthful energy.

The sounds of many craft began echoing around him, their position indeterminable due to the acoustics. At least they had served to scare away any resting banshees he thought with some mild hope, he didn't fancy facing another one any time soon. Pulling himself up he kept on moving, hoping to put as much distance as possible between himself and his pursuers. As soon as they saw the outpost from their cockpits they'd know he'd bolted and begin the hunt, he needed every second he could get in the mean time.

Without warning he felt the rock beside his face explode, bits of shrapnel digging deeply into his skin and causing a slow trickle of blood. Nearly losing his grip he hung on with one hand, twisting painfully to see a dozen banshees bearing down on him, their Na'vi riders notching bows as they flew in for the kill.

Not waiting Tom swung himself up in one fluid motion, adrenaline kicking into overdrive to dispel any qualms he may have had about his physical state. Taking great strides he dove for what little cover was available, pressing himself into a small crack between two great pillars of stone. The Na'vi circled quickly, firing their arrows as best they could but merely skimming the rock and glancing off harmlessly.

The lead rider dismounted from his Ikran in midair as it flew by overhead, neatly landing before Tom in his hiding place. The gleaming face and bared fangs instantly made Tom's blood run cold.

"Tsu'tey, _fpak_!" he pleaded, stop.

But the large warrior just kept on coming, ignoring the humans words. Without pausing he drew his blade, tossing it between hands as he drew nearer salivating from the smell of fear the tiny human gave off.

"You will cause my people harm no more," he snarled, reaching in to extract Tom, grabbing him bodily and holding him before him, legs dangling in the air. Tom drew his gun, Tsu'teys eyes widening as he looked at the device and realised its power. "You would be so cowardly," he remarked, "as to use your faketuan spears on me?"

"No," Tom said, letting loose the entire clip at the Samson that had come into hover just behind the rock. His rounds flew wildly, most ricocheting from the hull but it was enough to discourage the pilot who quickly banked away. Tsu'tey dropped Tom, clutching at his ears from the deafening booms.

"Go," Tom pleaded again, "leave before they kill us both."

"I will not let them have the honour," Tsu'tey roared in rage, picking up his knife from the ground and beginning to circle Tom. "You will pay for what you have done to the Omaticaya people."

Tom threw the empty gun to the side, holding his hands out before him. Already more gunships had begun to take up positions around them, obviously drawn by the gunfire but apparently unwilling to open fire without orders. He knew it was only a matter of time until the Samson troop transports arrived and all hell would break loose. Dropping down on his knees he looked up at the warrior before him and made his peace.

"Kill me now and escape, don't let anymore blood be spilt today than is necessary."

Tsu'tey stepped closer, gripping the great dagger in his hand. Tom knew it was a gamble, one he would lose either way but hopefully his words could ring true and some good could come of the situation. If Tsu'tey stayed the marines would more than surely open fire to eliminate the threat he posed and no amount of carbon-fibre reinforced bones could withstand a .50-cal round. As Tsu'tey drove his arm downwards in one quick swoop Tom felt himself shoved to the ground, smacking against the rough rock and tearing the skin along his arm in the process.

Neytiri crouched where he had just been, gripping Tsu'teys hand in both of her own. Her Ikran squawked loudly as it landed shortly afterwards behind her, the entire rock shaking from the impact it made. She pushed Tsu'tey back, hurrying to Toms side to help him stand and watch over him. As he looked up at her, barely coming up to her chest he smiled, their true faces meeting for the first time.

"I see you," he said, words lost in the din but she understood nonetheless.

"I see you Thomsully," she finally said back, running a hand against the smooth plastic of his exopack's faceplate.

"But please, you must leave," he said, looking around them at the assembled gunships. "It's not safe, any moment they are going to come for me and... I don't want you to be hurt. I am sorry for all the pain I have caused your people but I promise I will make it right."

Neytiri stepped back, snarling at the metal beasts that surrounded them all.

"We can take you with us," she said quickly, dropping to one knee before the human so that they were level.

"No, the Ikran wouldn't stand a chance," he said quickly. "You have to leave me. It's for the best," he finished softly, letting his hands fall to his sides.

"I will come for you," Neytiri said, pushing Tsu'tey towards her own Ikran. "May Eway be with you." As she forcefully made Tsu'tey sit beside her she gave Tom one last pleading look before taking flight, narrowly dodging the ring of warbirds before plunging into the clouds below.

Before they were even gone from sight the first troop transport had begun to set down, half a dozen armed men streaming out to surround him. Quaritch strode forwards from behind, old-fashioned pistol hanging in his hand. Tom still knelt on the hard ground, face and arm bloody but a smile on his lips.

"You are goin' straight to hell boy," Quaritch said, before using the dead weight of the gun in his hand to club Tom against the head.

----

Neytiri felt as if she were leaving a piece of herself behind as she flew back towards the Hometree, Tsu'tey fidgeting angrily behind her.

"You should have let me return his life to Eywa," he shouted brusquely over the rushing wind.

"Why? So the faketuan could have taken yours," she replied simply, banking sharply as they came in to land in the high branches. Dismounting she found herself pressed against her Ikran by Tsu'tey, a hand held firmly against her chest.

"It is not for us to decide," he said, leaning in closely. As he smelt her musk his nostrils flared, eyes widening in horror. "You mated with the dreamwalker!" he nearly hollered, disgust dripping from his words.

Neytiri didn't miss a heartbeat, backhanding him violently across the face so that he nearly stumbled over the edge of the very tree itself. As he balanced precariously on the edge she grabbed his simple waistcoat, arresting any further fall but not pulling him back yet.

"Listen to me," she said with quiet ferocity, "That faketuan just saved your life. Eywa placed her trust in this dreamwalker and it is not for us to reason why. The Sky People are coming for our land and we must be prepared. You are the best warrior of the Omaticaya Tsu'tey, the People need you. Thom swore an oath as one of the People and he will honour that oath, I feel it."

Pulling him roughly forwards she left, striding towards the central spiral, not glancing back at the warrior or his injured pride.

----

"You picked the wrong guy to screw around with," Quaritch said, standing smugly behind the reinforced window of the cell. The prior occupants, scientists engaged in petty fights over egotistical remarks or marines who had had too much of the local moonshine, had been moved elsewhere, leaving Tom to contemplate his fate alone.

"You better hope the administration don't find you guilty of treason," Quaritch said, "or we might just airlock your ass and let you smell that sweet free air you so obviously enjoy. Cheaper than shipping you back to Sol."

"It'd beat listening to you," Tom said quietly from the most uncomfortable cot he had ever slept on, the small room devoid of any other furnishings. He had been in mud huts that felt cleaner.

"I should wheel in a monitor so you can watch all your friends get flushed out of that hole they call a home," Quaritch continued, obviously attempting to ignore the insult. "By the time we're done watching all of your link recordings we'll have a perfect map of that tree and every weakness ready to be exploited. It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel."

Tom felt himself shiver at the chilling words but also a ray of hope shone through, they hadn't found his last files then. He just hoped they had got through in time..

"Private," Quaritch ordered walking away from the cell, "keep your eye on him, don't hesitate to shoot to kill if the situation calls for it."

"Understood Sir," the soldier answered simply, his rifle held closely to his shoulder.

"See you in another life Sully."

"Race you there," Tom whispered back, closing his eyes on the bed and dreaming of other dreams.

----

The video file was tiny, perhaps a few minutes long but it had been hastily encoded and simulcasted alongside a regular data stream so its contents were of obvious importance. Opening the small file it began to play.

"This is Tom Sully, I don't know how much time I've got so I need to be quick. You have to trust me and do what I say. This is the final battle and you've just being recruited."


	11. Claws Out

A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting another chapter up folks, but here it is. You can kind of see how I've changed everything around now, the end is most definitely in sight. Please read and review!

* * *

The guard lounged idly in the small antechamber before the cells, gun resting across his lap as he watched a video on a small pad. This was one mission he was glad to be sitting out, Quaritch having taken most of the marines out to turn the blue monkey's treehouse into a pile of matchsticks. He didn't fancy being a part of that massacre, no matter how much the Company paid him. Getting to a good bit in the film he leant forwards, trying to keep the device inconspicuous should anyone walk in unexpectedly.

Without warning the ground trembled and the small chair he sat perched on slipped sideways, sending him tumbling to the floor noisily. Standing hurriedly he gathered up his gun and pad, stuffing the latter away before flipping off the safety on his rifle.

"What was that?" he asked the only other occupant of the room. Tom slowly sat up from his bed, stretching his arms above his head to iron out all the kinks.

"I don't know, sounds like the base is under attack. Maybe you should go and investigate?" he said matter-of-factly, as if oblivious to the severity of what he had just spoken.

The marine looked torn between his duty to guard the prisoner and his desire to find out what was actually happening and help out if he could. Eventually deciding Tom was safely locked away he left, heading towards the central operations centre. Before his footsteps had even finished echoing down the hallway three people emerged, quickly making their way across the room.

"I knew I could count on you all," Tom said, standing before the clear divide.

"As long as you know what you're doing," Grace said, ordering Norm to stand by the door and keep an eye out. "Are you sure you can open that?" she asked Max as he ran his fingers over the security controls.

"I work on the most advanced neural interface systems every day, I don't think a basic encryption system will prove any trouble." Plugging in a small drive he watched as it worked away before the panel emitted a soft beep and the door slid open. "There," he said, relieved.

"I take it the distraction worked?" Tom asked as they moved hurriedly entered the med lab.

"Like a charm," Grace answered, using her card to lock the heavy door behind them. The med lab, like most sections of Hells Gate, could operate as a separate area, sealed from all others in the event of an emergency. Unlike the others however it also had an emergency backup generator to prevent unexpected losses of link connectivity which made it the perfect base within a base. Without pause Grace began the lockdown procedure, severing any links with the Hells Gate base computers and ensuring that nothing else would be coming in or out without ripping a big hole in the side of the labs.

"Doctor Rotherham was not happy about us re-purposing his samples," Max explained, walking quickly between the pods and starting their precycle checks. "But he supports our cause. By the time they put the fire out in the refinery it'll be too late. All the scientists have taken refuge in the living quarters, we're going to coral everyone there when it's all over."

"And the Na'vi, did you manage to get word to them?" Tom asked quickly, heading to the first pod he had used when he arrived so very long ago. So much had changed in between.

Norm slipped into his own pod quickly, avoiding his questioning gaze. Grace stood by him, her own pod spinning up ready. "We sent your message to one of the science teams out near the Na'vi Hometree but we don't have any way of knowing if they managed to pass it on before Quaritch pulled the plug on all active links. I'm sorry Tom, but they might be on their own."

"With an armada about to level their home? We'd better get started then," Tom said angrily, pulling his pod lid shut. His avatar had been brought back to the med lab for repairs, the arm wrapped in bandages and still feeling stiff as Tom retook control. Quickly unlocking the airlock door, Tom passed through to the grassy quad area outside where he met up with Grace and Norm, heading towards him in their own avatars.

"You know what you have to do?" Tom asked, getting a quick nod from both. As they split up, each heading to their respective objectives, Tom couldn't but help wonder if what they were trying to do would have even the slightest chance of succeeding. Not that it mattered anymore, time had run out and this would be the only chance they had.

----

Neytiri could see the metal beasts in the distance, their fiery engines sending waves of smaller birds fluttering up from the trees as they tore through the heavens. Never before had she seen so many at once except in the Sky People's home, yet now they rode for her own home, passing high above as she led her Ikran low over the treetops. Behind her her fellow warriors watched the great beasts and she felt their desire to follow them, protect their families but now was not the time. They had to cut off the beasts head, not its claws. It was a race, one with goals at opposite ends.

One of the dreamwalkers had come tumbling into their village only a few hours ago, exhaustion driving the poor hybrid to the ground as he called for the one called Neytiri. At once she had been summoned, listening to the strange message the hybrid passed on. Before they could learn more he collapsed amongst them, eyes rolling backwards as if suddenly taken by sleep.

A decision was reached quickly; Neytiri had taken every warrior she could, even Tsu'tey following her command. If what the dreamwalker had spoken was true Hometree would need their help to save it. And her mate would need her help to survive what he had planned for himself.

"I am coming Tom," she whispered, urging her Ikran on faster still.

----

"Oh man, oh man," Norm kept repeating, following Grace closely. "This is never going to work," he pleaded quietly.

"If you have something better to do," Grace said quickly, turning to face him as they scaled the building stealthily, "then please go and do it, but if you want to save the Na'vi just shut up and follow me."

Norm hung still for a moment, the sudden outburst startling him. He had always known Doctor Augustine was a determined woman but he'd never had the misfortune to cross her until now. Picking up the pace he followed her as they scaled the tower, the avatar bodies making light work of their progress.

----

Tom moved swiftly between buildings, trying to hide his ten foot tall blue body as much as possible. It seemed as if all military personnel were off-base and those that were left were dealing with the refinery fire, assisting in any way they could to dampen the flames.

Ahead lay the machines that gave the facility its life; power, oxygen, water all churned out by one fusion reactor nestled safely within the compound. The reactor itself was perfectly safe, even from attack, with no risk of a runaway reaction or radiation affecting the main compound were it to be damaged. But its fuel source, tonnes upon tonnes of processed fuel-grade unobtanium lying stockpiled from the bases own refinery, that was another matter entirely. Kept under lock and key the entire system was automated, to remove the risk of human interference.

Picking up a lone guard stationed outside the huge double doors Tom felt his neck crumble between his fingers, not meaning to have killed the man and hating himself for causing such a crime. Bracing himself against the doors he thumbed his throat mike.

"Max, I'm in position," he said simply. "Open the doors. Grace, when the power dies you know what to do. Good luck everyone."

No going back now. As the heavy doors rumbled open Tom rushed in, swinging his small bag from his shoulders and removing a device similar to the one they'd used on the refinery. The process of extracting the unobtanium from its naturally occurring form created a highly volatile waste product and like all volatile liquids, all it needed was a spark. Setting the canister against the tubes that pumped liquid unobtanium into the reactor Tom set the countdown for sixty seconds before making like a bat out of hell.

The main courtyard was still empty so he dashed across as quickly as possible, counting down the seconds in his head. As he hit five he felt the world around him turn into sharp shadow as the primary detonator ignited followed a moment later by a million cubic litres of unobtanium. The shockwave blew out every window in the facility, poisonous atmosphere rushing in. All personnel were required to carry an exopack or be able to get to one inside of twenty seconds but it would be inevitable some would succumb to the noxious gases and for that Tom was truly sorry but it had to be done.

Around him the lights began to fail like dominos until only the med lab shone against the dying rays of sunlight. Klaxons and emergency lights began to flicker into life, a mournful wail passing over the base. Rushing towards the Ops Centre Tom hoped Grace and Norm could complete their task before he got there.

----

"Don't move!" Grace shouted, perched on one knee so she could fit inside the Ops Centre control room. The rifle in her hands would normally sit on the side of a Samson but now looked suitably fitting in her avatar hands. Behind her Norm pushed through the small airlock, surveying the assembled humans who were still rushing to don their breathing equipment.

"Norm, the defence grid," she said quickly, stepping forwards to deter any of the posted marines from getting any ideas.

Standing behind a terrified technician Norm leant in close, letting his canines show for good effect as he spoke to the man. "Turn off the defence grid now," he commanded, amazed at his own self-confidence.

"I... I don't have authorisation," the man's voice trembled, not daring to meet the blue giants eyes.

"Who does?" Norm pushed quickly, leaning in closer still so that his body passed through the holographic displays.

"Selfridge," the man shouted nearly hysterically, "only Selfridge has the authorisation to shut it down without Quaritch."

Grace moved further into the room, head brushing the ceiling of the tall room until she towered over the named man, a look of disbelief plastered over his face behind his exopack.

"Your code Parker," she said simply.

"The Company is going to cancel every research grant you ever had," he said noisily, backing away from her towards the opposite side of the room.

"After this, research grants will be the least of my worries," Grace replied, following him further.

"I think you should give the lady what she wants," Tom said from behind Selfridge, climbing in through the shattered windows.

The man nearly had a heart attack from the sudden arrival of another avatar, not knowing which way to look. Resigned to his fate he moved quickly towards the workstation, angrily pushing the cowering technician from his chair and typing in commands.

"Don't forget to call back your dog," Grace said, standing over his shoulder to ensure he didn't try anything funny.

As Parker hit the return key Tom watched the sentry guns all along the perimeter pitch down, no longer a threat to the Na'vi riders who could now be seen on the horizon, outlined against the dying sun as it passed behind Polyphemus.

"Now order everyone on base to lay down arms and return to their living quarters," Tom said, watching the assembled crew already beginning to edge out of the room.

"What the hell do you think is going to happen here?" Selfridge demanded, trying to stand before the avatars. "When Quaritch gets back he is going to exterminate the three of you like bugs!"

"We'll make it through," Tom said, moving to stand by the open windows, waving a hand at the approaching flyers. "With a little help from our friends."

----

"Colonel Sir, we have an urgent message from Hells Gate. It seems they've... well they've been overrun by the Na'vi Sir."

"What?!" Quaritch snarled, turning to face the radio operator in the gigantic Dragon gunship. "Confirm the transmission," he ordered, standing behind the soldier.

"Confirmed Sir, sent by Administrator Selfridge along with proper distress codes."

"All units this is Colonel Quaritch, abort mission, I repeat abort mission. We have some house clearing of our own to do first. Pilot, turn us around."


	12. End Game

A/N: Wow, this chapter took a long time to write, easily my longest yet but I think it was worth it to keep everything together. I decided to end it on a cliffhanger as well, just to keep you guys guessing and hopefully encourage a few more reviews. Only a little bit left now, it's been quite a ride though. Hope you all enjoy this.

* * *

"They are coming," one of the young Na'vi scouts announced, bringing his Ikran to rest before them just outside the ops centre. "Many Sky People, they fly from the East. I do not think they could have reached Hometree before returning though."

"What do we do Thomsully?" Neytiri asked, standing before him like all the others but showing obvious relief at the news, if only temporarily. Tom found it a very odd situation to be in, surrounded by over two dozen Na'vi, hybrid or natural born, all looking to him for guidance. He had asked for this though, needing their help and there was no way he was going to let them all down now.

"This is a fight we can't win," Grace said softly beside him, "you know that."

"We don't need to," Tom said back, loud enough for the rest to hear. "When Quaritch returns what is he going to find? A facility unable to produce any unobtanium, a smouldering reactor and a civilian staff who are terrified out of their minds. It'll take at least two weeks to get a message to Sol, then a minimum of six years for the parts needed to replace the damage we've caused to arrive. In the meantime the oxygen scrubbers will fail running on auxiliary power, the mining machines will have to be suspended indefinitely without more fuel and the general population would just as soon take a breath of fresh air than risk going back out into the jungle after what we've shown the Na'vi is capable of today. No, we only need to do one thing to get every human off this planet and Selfridge already gave us the key."

"His authorisation code," Norm whispered, looking up at Tom. "You're going to blow the base?!"

"Bingo," Tom said simply.

"I don't understand," Neytiri said, stepping closer to the group of avatars. "Why did you call for our aid if you intended to destroy this place without our aid?"

"Because you're our only chance of getting our avatar asses out of here," Tom explained. "When Quaritch learns what we're doing he's going to do everything in his power to take out this control room and stop the countdown. We'll have to hold off any assault until the last moment before making our own escape. The shuttle has enough room for all base personnel and we can move all those corralled here already into it with plenty of time to spare. Any marine who decides to stay and fight will be doing so of their own accord. When we're done, Neytiri and the others can take our avatars while we jump back to the medlab and get out."

"Very clever," Norm said quietly, amazed at his friends ingenuity.

"How long do we have," Tom asked the Na'vi scout whose eyes had not left the horizon.

"They fly over the great river now, we have fifteen minutes before they descend."

"Then we've got to get started. Neytiri, take half the warriors and begin moving everyone to the shuttle then come back here. The rest stay with me, we need to barricade this room as much as possible before getting something with a bit more kick than these pea shooters," he commanded, holding one of the human rifles between his fingers.

A chorus of cheers arose as the group split, rushing to make ready for the inevitable conflict. Tom motioned subtly to the assembled avatars and led them across to Selfridge's office.

"This is the last chance you'll have to leave Pandora," Tom stated matter-of-factly. "Once we start fighting you won't be able to make it to the shuttle and if you stay, well the power will go out eventually along with everything else. If either of you want to leave now I understand, I've already told Max to follow with the other staff as soon as he's done. We can get out of the pods ourselves fine when the time comes."

"What, and miss all the fun?" Norm half joked though Tom could see him tremble slightly.

"I'm not going to abandon these people now," Grace said swiftly, "we bought this trouble on them, it's only right we share their fate."

"Thank you," Tom said, looking deep in their eyes and seeing his own strength reflected in them. "The first thing we have to do is take down this ceiling, my back is already hurting."

Grinning the three stepped out to help the other Na'vi, upending desks and other office sections to make simple barricades. This would be where the war for a planet would be fought, not in the skies or in the deep jungles, but in a tiny human facility that was nothing more than a pimple upon Pandora's surface.

----

"Base appears deserted sir," the pilot reported, gently arcing the huge Dragon gunship around Hells Gate for another pass. Only the twin plumes of smoke from the refinery and reactor showed anything amiss. The usual hustle and bustle of personnel dashing between buildings, the artificial light produced by a thousand bulbs, all were absent and it made Quaritch even more concerned.

"Scan for thermals," he ordered quickly, turning to watch the gunner bring up a black and white overlay of the facility on his HUD.

"All areas appear cold except for the ops tower and med labs. It looks like the reactor fuel stores went critical, still reading extreme heat. Wait, what the hell," the man exclaimed, punching in commands to centre the camera optics on the orbital shuttle. "Detecting exhaust plumes from the Valkyrie sir, she's powering up."

"What the hell. Get me whoever's in the cockpit on a comm channel now!" he ordered.

"Channel open sir."

"This is Quaritch to whoever is in control of the Valkyrie, explain yourself now or we will open fire!"

A slight hiss of static came over the line as the pilot responded, trying to clear his voice from the tension he felt. "This is Evans sir, we've been ordered to prepare for an immediate evacuation. We have all base personnel on board and are just awaiting any remaindered evacuees."

"Evacuees!" Quaritch nearly shouted, "who the hell gave any order to evacuate?!"

"Administrator Selfridge sir," the pilot answered back hurriedly. "It was all Sully, he blew the reactor and took control of central ops. They've set a self-destruct timer, him and the other avatars. They're going to blow the base after we leave sir."

"My ass they're going to blow it," Quaritch snarled. " Get me squad leaders," he spoke quickly to the radio man before giving out his final orders. "All units, converge on the ops tower. I want it cleared with extreme prejudice and I want it done yesterday.

----

Tom could feel himself sweating in his Na'vi body, the tension palpable in the room. They had each done the best they could, the makeshift barricade composed of desks, ceiling panels, chairs; anything and everything they could salvage to put a bit of cover between themselves and the attackers providing what meagre protection it could.

Like all RDA facilities the control room was designed to be a point of last retreat, with a single point of ingress. Behind them heavy shutters covered the holes where windows had once been, plunging the room into darkness. Their Na'vi eyes could see much better in the darkness than human ones but Tom had no doubt the marines would find some way of levelling that advantage

The assembled warriors each held a large chain gun typically mounted to a Samson, even the native Na'vi who had been given a very hasty lesson on how to operate one. As they crouched ready Tom knew he needed to rally them forwards lest they forget the reason they stood here now.

"Remember, we fight for everyone who calls this planet home," Tom shouted as the first noises began to reach them from below, heavy boots and men shouting in harsh tones. "Today, we fight for Eywa and her People. If we fail then everything we have done is for nothing and the Sky People will not stop in their actions."

Looking at the small console behind him, the last surviving one in the room, Tom watched the numbers slowly trickle down, icy terror filling his chest. As it ticked over the fifteen minute mark the computer began an automated message, warning all personnel to get to a minimum safe distance. Tom knew it was a fine line, they needed to give the humans enough time to realise they had to leave but also make sure they themselves could get clear before the allotted time arrived.

"May Eywa be with us," Tom whispered silently to himself, hefting the gun higher.

----

"Breaching the outer doors now sir," Lieutenant Harry Chao radioed in. "Proceeding up northern staircase."

Chao and his men proceeded swiftly upwards, much more accustomed to moving through an urban environment than those damned jungles. Covering each other they made it to the central floor and immediately split up to cover all vantage points. The heavy door to the central control room stood before them, securely sealed by the looks of it. Shaped charges wouldn't even make a dent in the thing, so Chao ordered one of his men to break out a torch and begin cutting through it. Slow work but like all hostage situations, they had time on their sides.

"Warning, this is an automated message. Base self-destruct protocols have been enacted, t-minus fifteen minutes, repeat, one-five minutes. All personnel are advised to retreat to minimum safe distance. Failsafe override will expire in ten minutes, repeat, one-zero minutes."

"Shit," Chao said aloud, thumbing his throat mike he opened a direct channel to the Colonel. "Sir, how should we proceed?"

Quaritch came back instantly, his voice burning through Chao's earpiece. "You heard the lady, you have ten minutes to get in there and put those savages down. I suggest you don't waste any time."

Cutting off the link Chao tapped the marine before the door on the shoulder. "Cut faster or we're all screwed," he said in what he hoped was an encouraging voice.

----

Norm felt the weapon slip slightly in his greasy palms, sweat beading on his forehead already. Beside him the Na'vi warriors looked perfectly at ease, as if this were a normal situation. Yeah, because they face the most heavily armed military force in the galaxy while taking refuge in a tiny room every day.

As the door before them all began to glow, first red then yellow before burning bright white, he felt his legs began to shake and dropped to one knee to better support himself. Neytiri quickly moved beside him, placing a soft hand upon his shoulder.

"For my people, I thank you dreamwalker," she said softly into his ear. If her words were meant to comfort him it only made him more sure about how they all foresaw this ending but he merely nodded in thanks before turning back to face the door. As the last bolt was cut the world went dark once more as the flame was extinguished.

"Get ready everyone," Tom whispered.

What happened next felt like a tidal wave of pain against Norm's senses; he watched a tiny capsule sail through a small gap between the steel doors, watched it tumble upon the ground before realising what it was. As he turned his face away the flashbang grenade exploded, an intense flash of light followed by a deafening boom obliterating his coordination in a heartbeat.

Without even waiting the marines had begun pulling the doors open, firing through to provide cover. Norm felt his finger tighten on the heavy weapon in his hands, the fierce recoil pummelling the stock into his shoulder with such force he felt it bruise already. Turning forwards he began to squint at his targets, trying to control in which direction his wild shots were flying.

Beside him the others were doing the same, all looking shaken. The first wave of marines piled in, rolling into what little cover they could find. As they fired back Norm felt the bullets whiz past his head, causing him to duck ever so slightly. Beside him one of the Na'vi took a round to the head, instantly collapsing against the desk he leant on. Norm felt bile rise in his throat but turned back to face the threat quickly, unwilling to dwell on the events. As the gunfire died down Norm felt as if his arms were still reverberating, the barrel radiating so much heat he thought it would catch fire.

Taking a quick moment to assess the situation it was clear several Na'vi had been wounded or killed. Norm ran his hands over his own body and was amazed to find he was still in good working order. Tom had been nicked on the arm, but they were otherwise unharmed.

A new voice spoke loudly from the corridor outside, not daring to step into sight. "Come out now and you won't be hurt," it ordered loudly.

Tom fired a single burst through the doorway, the collective response to such a ploy it seemed.

"Ten minutes until base self-destruct," the computer announced, choosing an opportune time to chime in. "All personnel are advised to evacuate to safe minimum distance. Failsafe override will expire in five minutes."

"You better get your people out of here and onto that shuttle," Tom shouted loudly over the ringing in his ears, "or you're going to be stuck here waiting until the next shuttle can arrive. How long do you think you can hold your breath?"

It seemed something was going on outside with several marines rushing past the door quickly, their footsteps echoing down the staircase. Hopefully their message was getting through to some.

-----

Chao watched the cowards turn and run, pressing his face against the wall and feeling the decision tear through his own heart. Thumbing his throat mike he licked his lips nervously.

"Sir, they have the control centre well fortified, initial assault has failed. We won't be able to take it in time," Chao reported honestly. "I also have several men who have abandoned their posts. Advise a tactical withdrawal sir."

The response from the Colonel took longer this time but eventually he came back on the line, voice confirming his worst fears.

"Lieutenant, you finish this job or I'll shoot you myself as you come out of those doors."

It took Chao even less time to make up his own mind. "Fuck you sir," he said quickly, leading his men back the way they had come, making haste towards the Valkyrie as its engines began their final cycles before take off.

----

Tom watched the men disappearing past the door until it seemed they were all alone once again.

"Did it work?" Grace asked cautiously, rising from her perch behind a large filing cabinet.

"I think so," Tom said, moving to scan the corridor and finding no sign of life. "They've gone," he finally said happily. The warriors cheered for their quick victory but Tom knew they had to move now or be lost themselves.

"Neytiri, you'll have to take our avatars when we disconnect," Tom explained quickly, "fly as quickly as you can for the Hometree."

"And you Thomsully?" she asked nervously.

"We're going by land," he said simply, before lying down on the floor and letting his mind go blank. "See you there," he mumbled before unlinking. Grace and Norm did the same, all three jumping out of their pods as quickly as possible back in the medlab once more.

"You do have a plan right?" Grace asked nervously, grabbing the small bags they had prepared earlier with their few assorted possessions within.

"'Course I do," Tom said, donning an exopack and running out towards the avatar side of the medlab. Waiting for the other two he cautiously pushed open the main airlock door, checking to ensure they were alone. Running quickly he pulled a thick tarpaulin off of a Ground Assault Vehicle, more commonly known as a Swan. The six-wheeled vehicle would be their ride out of Hells Gate.

"Everyone in," he said quickly.

----

Quaritch raced into the ordinance bay of the Dragon, climbing into his AMP suit and feeding his hands into the mechanical waldo gloves. Everyone else was abandoning this planet, giving up because of a few bloody minded scientists and a tribe of spear-wielding monkeys. Orders were useless in a situation like this, self-preservation had taken over.

Half of his forces were already running for the shuttle and the rest would follow when they saw. But not him. The first day on Pandora, as a Thanator tried to take a bite out of his face, Quaritch knew this planet would be his grave eventually. Opening the bay doors he dropped out quickly, determined to eliminate the cause of all this trouble before it was too late.

Striding towards the control tower he suddenly turned his head, the external microphones picking up engine noises. Following the sound he saw a small Swan racing around the corner towards him, heading for the main gates just beyond. Raising his hands he let loose a stream of .50-cal rounds, tearing into the vehicle.

----

Tom watched the Na'vi take flight above them, three unconscious bodies slumped over the Ikrans backs followed by four Ikran who bore no riders of their own. He felt a lump rise in his throat uncomfortably and returned his gaze back to the large gates that now stood open before them. Without warning a marine in an AMP suit stepped into view, Quaritch's sneering face visible behind the plastic shell. Raising the heavy gun he let loose a stream of automatic fire.

Metal slugs tore through the thin vehicles windscreen, sending them swerving to one side. Beside him Tom felt Grace cry out in pain, but kept his foot pressed down hard on the accelerator, dodging the lone enemy and racing for the gate. Behind them their attacker gave pursuit, the powerful suit easily matching their own speed.

Norm reached forwards hurriedly, pulling away Grace's clothes to reveal a gaping wound in her side.

"This is really going to ruin my day," she said softly.


	13. Flight & Fight

A/N: The last chapter with combat, but it's not over yet. Not as long as the last (by half quite literally) but I think probably one of my favourites to write whilst listening to the soundtrack. Only loose ends to tie up now, but don't worry, all is not lost. Please R&R as always and Happy New Year everyone!

* * *

"Hold on Grace," Tom said, the Swan fishtailing wildly over the loose dirt track. Behind them the shuttle had begun its ascent, the engine noise rising above their own crashes through vegetation to drown out everything else.

"He's gaining," Norm shouted from the rear seats, pivoting to watch Quaritch chase after them in the AMP suit.

"Is there anything back there you can use?" Tom asked, turning sharply to avoid a rather large tree. The wide tyres spun for a moment, kicking loose dirt up behind them before gaining traction and pulling them all forwards again with a violent jerk. Quaritch merely leapt after them, one giant clawed hand denting the offending tree as he pushed on towards them.

"I don't know," Norm said, frantically digging through every nook and cranny in the small vehicle. "Wait!" he exclaimed, pulling out a chain of metal cylinders each of which bore a multitude of warnings and labels plastered along their sides. "Survey charges," he remarked, unhooking the first one and priming the top. "How long do I set the fuse for?" he asked nervously.

"Try ten seconds," Tom said, glancing behind him at their pursuer and making a rough guess. Norm threw the canister behind them, watching it tumble to the ground before exploding in a blinding flash of light. The mechanical monster behind them jumped through the flames a moment later, unharmed by the explosion.

"Shit, too short," Norm shouted, already priming the next one.

----

Neytiri heard the explosion from above, her Ikran's eyes picking out the fleeing vehicle amongst the trees. Jakes unconscious avatar form lay slumped behind her, but she knew what was needed. Calling another rider alongside she told them of her intentions.

----

"Come on," Tom urged, his foot flat against the accelerator. He could feel the small vehicle beginning to buck more and more, trembling from the sheer abuse of been driven over such harsh terrains at speeds it was never meant to handle.

Behind them Quaritch barrelled through another explosion, the impacts knocking him back a bit each time now. In the distance Tom could make out a gap in the trees, the great lake that ran towards the Na'vi's Hometree carving a wide path through the jungle.

Devoid of all occupants, Hells Gate carried out its final task with the utmost gusto. Placed at the top of the tallest tower, a thermobaric warhead, the most powerful non-nuclear weapon of human design, began its final countdown. The blast wave was small at first, expanding rapidly before shrinking back in on itself with an implosion before it expanded once more, obliterating Hells Gate as it sucked in all available oxygen until nothing was left. Designed to level anything and everything of value it tore through the ops centre, med labs and other structures in milliseconds, levelling the great walls that had once protected the compound. Secondary explosions from the stockpile of armour and weaponry sent another shockwave outwards a moment later, the force ripping into the now unprotected jungle.

Tom felt the ground begin to shake around them and glanced back quickly to see a wall of debris bearing down on them. Beside him Grace had turned deathly quiet, her hands resting against her chest as a slow trickle of blood pooled around her.

"Hold on Norm," he told his friend, bracing himself for the inevitable impact to come. As the Swan was swept up Tom felt the world spin around him, ground becoming sky becoming a cloud of dirt through which no light shone. The Swan danced across the ground, slamming into a tree and coming to a violent halt that left both men shaken. Around them the jungle groaned ominously, the blast having levelled hundreds of square miles of forest.

Norm fell awkwardly from the back seat, the small car perched precariously against the bowl a large tree. The air smelt of death, the forests burning around them. It was a horrifying sight, as if a great flaming scythe had swept over the land and destroyed everything of beauty in one fell swoop. He hoped none of the Na'vi had watched, he doubted they could survive such a sight, seeing their home defiled so spitefully.

"Tom," Norm said urgently, rushing to his friends side in the car. "Tom, come on, we have to move," he said hurriedly, gripping his arm and lifting him bodily from the vehicle with a strength he didn't know he had. Returning to the car he found Doctor Augustine motionless, a peaceful look upon her face, and decided to leave her be for the moment.

As if rising from the grave the path of destruction behind them began trembling, great logs rolling to the side as a monster rose from the very bowels of hell. Quaritch stood in his AMP suit, left arm hanging limply by his side, intermittent spurts of hydraulic fluid leaking from the joints. He pulled a heavy foot free from the ground, shaking loose the debris collected on it.

"Oh shit," Norm moaned, dashing to Tom's side. "Come on!" he shouted through his exopacks visor as loud as he could.

The metal beast stood on both legs now, Quaritch snatching his heavy gun from the ground and finding the ammo feed slot bent beyond repair. Ripping the large ceramic blade from its base he held the deadly weapon in his good hand, deftly controlling the robotic fingers from within his protective cocoon.

"What... what happened?" Tom asked sluggishly, sitting up and slowly taking in the scene around them. Norm hefted him to his feet as quick as he could, holding the man by his shoulders for support.

"Grace is dead and we'll be too if we don't get out of here," Norm said, pointing towards Quaritch as he tried to pull Tom in the opposite direction towards the glistening water in the distance. "We have to get to the river."

"No," Tom said firmly, pulling himself away from Norm to stand on his own two feet. "Those things are aquatic, we'd never outrun it, even if we swam."

Beside him Norm groaned, looking for anyway to escape their predicament but finding none and not liking the eventual results that entailed.

"You go," Tom said, turning to his friend. "I'll distract him long enough for you to make a get away. Follow the river bank, it'll take you to the Omaticaya. Tell them... Tell them I'm sorry for all of this."

"No," Norm pleaded, tugging at Tom's arm. "Come on, we can both make it."

"I have to stay," Tom said quietly, pulling out his own small hunting knife from his pack and collecting another item that lay discarded on the ground, Norm watching what he was doing and wondering if what Tom had planned could even work. "You have to go on Norm, make sure the Na'vi are prepared for when the RDA comes back."

"Thank you," Norm said solemnly, wrapping his arms around Tom before he could react. "Good luck friend."

And with that Tom found himself alone, facing a monster with metal claws and a human face. He stepped forwards quickly, Quaritch mimicking his moves.

"Hey Sully, how's it feel to betray your own race?" Quaritch questioned angrily over his suits external speakers.

"I'm doing this _because_ of my sense of humanity you bastard. You should have left when you had the chance," Tom replied, keeping his distance from the knife-wielding psychopath. "It's over, it's all over now."

"Nothing is over while I'm breathing!" Quaritch shouted back, lunging forwards with knife outstretched.

Tom rolled quickly, feeling the sharp sting of earth on his already battered and bruised body. The knife barely missed him, cleaving the air in two with its force. Quaritch didn't miss a beat, twisting the blade and making another pass. Tom moved in closer to the Colonel, using the suits own bulk against him.

"You are really starting to piss me off!" the Colonel shouted, chasing Tom as he dove between his legs. Spinning quickly he caught Tom as he attempted to dash off, grabbing the scientist around the chest and squeezing tightly. "I can snap you like a twig!" he spat.

Tom grinned wildly, causing Quaritch to reassess the situation to ensure he wasn't been duped. A beeping filtered into the cockpit, the rising crescendo of a countdown, and it took him a moment to realise it was coming from the external microphones. Looking down he saw the telltale blinking of a small explosive charge, wedged between his lower joints and ticking down rapidly.

Quaritch let Tom fall, using his working arm to try and remove the explosive. As he stood Tom didn't try to run, he knew he'd never clear the blast in time and what was the point? He couldn't live here, without an exopack he'd be dead in four minutes anway. As the beeping reached a steady hum Tom felt himself rising, watching his body fly backwards from the force of the explosion, a warm sensation seeping through his chest as he accepted his fate. As Quaritch's last angry snarl mixed with the sound of the explosion Tom felt his eyes close, knowing he had done all he could.


	14. The End is the Beginning

A/N: So this is it, the final chapter. I hope you've all enjoyed reading this story as much as I have writing it, it's been a heck of an experience writing it and has been viewed more times in the past week than any of my other stories. Please, if you've liked this or have anything to say leave a comment. I may work on other Avatar-related fics, but I doubt any will be a sequel or set within the same AU. Happy 2010, _irayo_.

* * *

Neytiri felt her Ikran soaring, desperately hurrying to escape the blast from the metal demon below. In her arm she cradled the frail human, his mind lost to the rapid sequence of events that had played out. Neytiri had been following the faketuan vehicle, watched and felt as the great fire consumed the forest and destroyed their means of transport in an instance and then watched as the Sky People's last demon stood against her mate for one final confrontation.

Thomsully had shown no fear, had stood his ground against the evil but she knew he was merely giving his fleeing friend a chance to escape from his own fate. So she dove from the skies high above, urging her Ikran in closer and closer, quelling its fear at the onrushing ground and hoping she was not too late to save the one who now held her heart.

She watched as Thom dove wildly between the beasts legs only to be snatched up in its giant claw, as if he were no more than a _Nantang_. Her heart beat faster, the wind screaming past them now. At the last moment she watched the demon release Thom, saw him drop only to be scooped up in her outstretched arm a moment later, hanging almost upside down from her Ikrans back.

As if in one final act of defiance the metal demon behind them ignited into a fiery ball of heat, sending super heated shrapnel flying outwards in all directions as the man within was consumed with one last anguished scream. Neytiri felt the heat wash over her, followed a moment later by the deadly missiles. Her Ikran jerked violently to the side, its right wing a ragged mess of torn skin along with its underbelly, even now its flight path descending precariously. Even more worryingly though she felt a slow trickle of blood seep across her arm, looking down to see her mate impaled upon a metal bar that passed through his stomach with a ragged scar.

Her Ikran clipped the top of a tall tree, its already stressed wings unable to take anymore punishment before it collapsed, the trio tumbling through the thick branches before crashing into the soft earth far below. Neytiri was thrown aside by the force of the impact, releasing the small human at her side. Her Ikran made a last farewell call upon the ground before its spirit returned to Eywa, the giant beast lying still upon the ground. Neytiri felt the hollow loss within, the passing of a friend she had know since her coming of age challenge so many cycles ago. But she could not dwell on the loss for she still had the chance to save one life today.

Rushing to Thom's side she held his head softly in her overlarge hands, feeling his ragged breathing against the impeding piece of shrapnel that lay ominously within stomach. She dared not remove it lest it cause more damage, instead carefully resting a hand against the faketuan's chest.

"_Neytiri_?" the frail human quietly said, his face unusually pale even for a Sky Person behind the alien mask he wore.

Neytiri felt her heart skip a beat, a slow tear making its way down her face. Tom reached up to wipe it away gently, at peace with himself finally. He coughed suddenly, a violent retching that only served to deepen the wound in his stomach. Cursing loudly in his own tongue Neytiri gathered him up with as much care as possible, setting off into the thick forest without hesitation.

"Do not fear," she urged as she felt her legs run with a smoothness and speed not felt since her youthful days. It was as if Eywa had heard her call, the creatures of the forest clearing her path so that she ran unimpeded, not stopping for a breath until she could see the great tree rising up before her.

Many had come to the Tree of Souls in this time of trouble to pray for assistance from Eywa, their collective voices flowing through the very link between them and every other living thing upon the planet. The ground shone in time to their chants, the hypnotic scene almost dreamlike to the delirious faketuan.

Setting the body down gently, Neytiri called for her mother, the wise woman hurrying over to the pair and inspecting the damage. As she ran a hand over the metal shard Tom hissed quietly, the energy to fight leaving his body with every passing moment.

"The damage is too great, Eywa can not save his body," she stated flatly, removing her hands from the aliens body and sighing heavily from the wounds inflicted upon all peoples today.

"Please!" Neytiri pleaded, gripping her mother tightly, tears coming more freely now as she wept openly for her lifemate.

Mo'at stood quickly, looking towards the riders who had returned from the Sky People's home along with the three hollow dreamwalker bodies draped beside them. Could it work? she wondered silently to herself, looking to Eywa for guidance as her oldest daughter cradled the dying aliens form. As if replying to her query a sole woodsprite descended slowly from the great tree, landing between the entwined pair and ending any further consternation on her part.

"Come, quickly," Mo'at ordered her daughter, leading her towards the roots of the great tree.

"Bring him," she ordered the riders, motioning at the hybrid. They worked without question, placing the body opposite its human occupant before stepping back in respect and bewilderment. Neytiri stood beside her mother, watching everything around her with a detachment unlike anything she had ever known, her thoughts only with her dying mate.

"Will it work?" she asked solemnly of her matriarch.

"His fate is in Eywa's hands now," Mo'at replied, urging the people on through the link between all of them. As the first fibres of the tree began to entwine with the faketuan they felt his mind enter their own, becoming one of the People. "He is weak, the path will not be easy," Mo'at answered truthfully.

The thin tendrils grew to envelop both forms, the pulsing light of a thousand minds surging through every fibre and casting the small valley in a deep glow that matched the hearts and wills of all their minds. This faketuan had risked everything to save their home, losing his own in the process. The chants grew in ferocity, the voices calling upon Eywa for Her guidance.

As the roots surrounding Thomsully's human body faded into darkness Mo'at knelt by his side, removing the mask and releasing his final burden. Neytiri clutched the hand of Thom's dreamwalker body, tiny flashes of light arcing between their palms. She felt the beat of his strong heart, the tremors through his flesh as mind and body become One. She leant in closer, feeling his energy rising, the will to live coming from every living being around them urging the union onwards.

Placing her lips gently against his own she sought comfort in familiarity and found her embrace returned to her. Leaning back Thom followed her, raising his hands to look at his true body before turning to look at the human form he had finally left behind.

"How... how did you?" he questioned, gazing at all those around them.

"It was Eywa's will," Neytiri said simply before wrapping her arms around him and allowing the waves of relief to wash over them both. "You are one of the People now Thomsully," she said, "One of the Omaticaya forever."

Standing together, on uncertain legs, Tom looked out at the many faces feeling his heart catch in his throat. This was nothing like being in a link pod, the sensations that rippled through his body and mind, there was no way a machine could replicate them into senses a human mind could understand. It was as if he had gone from simulator to real thing once more, only this time to stay.

Turning to face his mate he felt his heart beat faster before a dawning realisation came to him, lost in the moment before. He scanned quickly, looking for any sign of encroaching danger.

"What happened to the Sky People, to Quaritch?" he asked hurriedly.

Neytiri smiled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to help comfort him as she turned to gaze at the scene above them.

"They left in their great bird," she explained, a slender finger pointing to a particularly bright star that shone in the night sky. "They leave because of you Thomsully. You have saved all Na'vi."

"And Norm, Grace?" he asked, the good doctors name catching in his throat as he thought of her and how she had been left with such haste.

"We did not find the woman," Neytiri admitted tearfully, "the metal demon scattered her ashes to Eywa but she is with peace now, of that all Na'vi can be certain."

Tom felt a lump in his throat. He had wished to give the doctor a proper burial, but knew that what Neytiri said was true, hopefully Grace could find calm amongst the ancestors of the Na'vi people.

"We search for the other faketuan," Neytiri continued when Tom returned his gaze to her. "All know that he is good of heart too, he shall not be harmed."

"And this," Tom said, running his hands up and down his body, "can you do this for him too? We have no home to go to now," he admitted truthfully, the realisation dawning on him after being so focused on stopping the RDA for such a long time.

Neytiri stepped closer still, wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin against his shoulder. "You are both Omaticaya," she whispered quietly, "you will never be without home again."

----

Many seasons had passed since the Sky People had returned to the heavens and with each passing day it was harder and harder to see where their base had once been as Eywa reclaimed her land. Every child was taught of the _faketuan_, taught to understand them and respect them for one day they would return but in the meantime life had to continue in the way it had since the time of songs.

Doctor Spellman had been found, shaken but unharmed after only a short while amongst the jungle. Accepting Mo'ats generous offer he joined Tom as one of the People, initially ill at ease with the more traditional life but soon learning the benefits of such a peaceful existence. He took a mate when he finally bested his own Ikran, a feat that still gave much delight to those who recalled how the man had trembled more than the Thundering Rocks themselves as he stood before the winged beasts.

Mo'at let it be known that neither man was to ever be refereed to by the name of dreamwalker, hybrid of _faketuan_ again for both were now Na'vi, as if born of the womb of one of their own, admittedly with an extra digit on each hand though. Some were initially displeased at what they saw as the last remaining presence of the Sky People, but as both men slowly lost their old humanity they grew closer to all of those around them until any warrior would be hard pressed to name any difference between themselves and those who had saved their people.

As the great gas giant of Polythemus in the sky slowly gave way to reveal the primary star and the beginning of the Summer seasons, Tom had another reason to rejoice amongst the People. Holding his first child in his arms he knelt beside his wife, letting her see their new daughter for the first time.

"She has your eyes," he whispered quietly, the child stretching new found limbs as it entered the new world.

"And your hands," Neytiri remarked playfully, watching five little fingers curl around one of her own.

"What shall we call her?" Tom asked, watching her tiny cat like nose sniff at the air around her, large green eyes opening to stare into his own as if she Saw already.

"Grace," Neytiri finally answered, the name not of normal Na'vi origin but one of clear merit to both and any others who had known the good doctor.

"Grace," Tom repeated, holding his child for all those assembled to see. "Welcome to Pandora Grace," Tom said as she reached out playfully to catch a falling woodsprite.


End file.
